SABIC worked closely with Solarge to develop a low carbon footprint solar panel made from SABIC® PP (polypropylene) compounds. SABIC PP Compounds used in these solar panels provide more than 50% weight reduction. In addition, PV panels made with this material result in more than 25% carbon footprint reduction and can be reused within their own production chain after 25 years. These features attract a high demand for application on industrial roofs as customers in the commercial and industrial building segment seek lighter and more energy efficient alternatives.
The SABIC® PP compounds used in these panels will be produced at SABIC’s polypropylene compounding site in Genk, Belgium. As the next exciting step, in this ongoing journey, SABIC has already installed 50 of these lightweight PV panels on the roof of this manufacturing facility in a pilot project, marking the start of a full-scale roof installation of nearly 5,000 panels during 2023. This also reaffirms SABIC’s commitment to drive the energy transition toward renewable power through both material applications and reducing the manufacturing carbon footprint.