EDPR Sunseap & PlasticBean Sign MoU for Recycled Plastic Use in Floating Solar

The Asia Pacific division of EDP Renewables, EDPR Sunseap, and PlasticBean, a unit of Archwey’s sustainable materials engineering Group, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU’s goal is to investigate the use of 100% recycled plastic in upcoming floating photovoltaic solar farm projects in Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea.

The thermoplastic recycled material known as BLUEWAVE® is made from marine plastics, plastics that float in the water, post-consumer waste, and post-industrial waste. It repurposes plastic garbage that would otherwise wind up in our seas and is collected at riverbanks and coastal areas in some of the world’s most contaminated areas. BLUEWAVE® pellets, which are 100 percent recycled and recyclable, can be used to create the floating pontoons that support solar farms.

“EDPR Sunseap is always looking for chances to engage with innovative partners to help preserve our world clean for the next generation,” said Mr. Frank Phuan, CEO of EDPR Sunseap Business. We can move the world closer to a circular economy where plastic trash is recovered and recycled rather than thrown away by collaborating with PlasticBean.

“The strategic partnership with EDPR Sunseap is an important milestone and anchors our collaboration with a pioneering provider of clean energy solutions who shares our belief that a better future is possible and that we can undo the harm humanity has done to our planet over the past century,” said Mr. Sjoerd Fauser, CEO of Archwey. This is a major step toward a world that is sustainable.

“Building renewable energy farms with recycled plastic rather than virgin plastic indicates deliberate action and makes a positive contribution to creating a sustainable future.

“It is imperative that the world stop using fossil fuels, and not just as a source of energy. One of the most harmful pollutants in the world is virgin plastic, which is created using oil. Only 9% of the plastic that is produced is recycled. Every year, 364 million tonnes of plastic trash were produced.

The price of recycled plastic, according to EDPR Sunseap and Archwey, will be comparable to or less expensive than that of plastic made from raw materials, including crude oil. In the Straits of Johor, EDPR Sunseap finished building one of the biggest floating solar farms in the world last year. For densely populated, land-constrained areas like Singapore, floating solar is a practical way to incorporate solar energy into its renewable strategy.