Dutch construction company invests in 300 MW solar module factory

Dutch construction company Vorm has agreed to invest an unspecified sum, through its investment firm Shape Capital, into a new solar module factory that Netherlands-based module manufacturer Solarge B.V. is planning to build in Eindhoven.

According to Vorm, the new factory will have a capacity of 300 MW and will become operational in the spring of 2022. The company said it decided to invest in the new facility as Solarge produces solar panels that are not inferior to conventional glass modules in terms of energy yield but are suitable for almost all roofs due to their low weight.

The construction company also claims all materials in the modules developed by Solarge are 100% recyclable. “While conventional solar panels contain a lot of aluminum and glass, Solarge panels are made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymers from Sabic,” it further explained. Sabic is a Saudi chemical company and a subsidiary of the state-owned energy company Saudi Aramco.

The Dutch start-up is currently producing the modules through a pilot line at its manufacturing facility. “The product will have a CO₂ footprint which is 80% lower than conventional solar panels and the panel is completely circular in design and uses no per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) materials, unlike all other solar panels that use a polymeric film instead of glass,” the company’s CCO Huib Van der Heuvel told pv magazine in early September.