Polytechnique insights A REVIEW BY INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE PARIS
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Home / Dossiers / Energy / Energy transition: recycling materials to preserve resources
π Energy π Planet π Industry

Energy transition: recycling materials to preserve resources

5 episodes
  • 1
    How recycling solar panels will help preserve energy security in Europe
  • 2
    Wind turbines: can we make blades recyclable? 
  • 3
    What is the carbon footprint of electric bikes?
  • 4
    What should be done with the millions of used tyres?
  • 5
    Eco-design for solar: when environmental gains go hand in hand with efficiency
2_photovoltaique
Épisode 1/5

How recycling solar panels will help preserve energy security in Europe
On March 22nd, 2023
3 min reading time
Daniel_BAJOLET
Daniel Bajolet
Member of SAGSI (China) and Co-founder of ROSI

Key takeaways

  • Of the 3.5 million tonnes of silicon manufactured worldwide, Europe as much as 17%, while China produces as much as 75%.
  • It takes about 6 tonnes of scarce natural resources to produce one tonne of photovoltaic silicon or “polysilicon”.
  • This chain generates a lot of CO2 – for a standard 60-cell module manufactured in China, 77 kg of CO2is emitted compared to 13 kg in France.
  • The technologies developed today make it possible to recycle solar panels in their entirety with the exception of the polymers.
  • The wave of panels at the end of their life combined with recycling should make it possible to build a new virtuous and almost autonomous value chain in Europe.
1_eolien
Épisode 2/5

Wind turbines: can we make blades recyclable? 
On January 11th, 2023
4 min reading time
VOLARD Amandine
Amandine Volard
Wind and Marine Energy Engineer at ADEME

Key takeaways

  • Today, more than 90% of the material used in a wind turbine can already be recycled in France.
  • Only the blades pose a problem. They are made of a composite, and it would be ideal to separate these materials to recover them.
  • However, it is currently very complicated to separate the matrix from the reinforcing fibres.
  • 10,000 to 15,000 tons of composites from the wind energy sector will have to be processed in France each year from 2028.
  • The industry is developing new ways of recovering old blades, such as reuse, or the creation of recyclable blades.
Share electric bikes parked on the sidewalk, Hangzhou
Épisode 3/5

What is the carbon footprint of electric bikes?
On December 5th, 2023
4 min reading time
Anne de bortoli
Anne de Bortoli
Associate Professor at Université du Québec and Associate Researcher at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (IP Paris)

Key takeaways

  • The market for electrically assisted bicycles (EABs) is growing rapidly, and by 2030 almost 55% of bicycles sold in Europe will be electric.
  • The carbon footprint of this mode of transport is smaller: an average of 13g CO2e/km travelled, compared with 60 to 75g CO2e/km travelled by an electric city car.
  • Most (94%) of the GHG emissions from an electric bicycle come from its manufacture, in particular the manufacture of the aluminium frame.
  • The most energy efficient EAB is obtained by “retrofitting”, i.e. transforming a second-hand standard bike.
  • To reduce its carbon footprint even further, there are several solutions to consider (alternatives to aluminium, different types of batteries, etc.).
3_pneu
Épisode 4/5

What should be done with the millions of used tyres?
On November 14th, 2023
4 min reading time
Thomas Grandin
Thomas Grandin
In charge of the tyre and ELV sector at ADEME
JP Faure
Jean-Philippe Faure
Head of Research & Development and Director of Research and Innovation at Aliapur
Ludovic Moulin
Ludovic Moulin
PhD in Process and Environmental Engineering, R&D Manager at Alpha Carbone, and guest researcher in the MARVAPOL joint laboratory with IMT Mines Albi

Key takeaways

  • On the basis of “extended producer responsibility”, French tyre industrials are required to collect used tyres.
  • Worldwide, 8 million tonnes of tyres (made up of rubber, carbon, silica, steel, textiles and chemical agents) are not collected.
  • There are various options for used tyres: reuse, energy recovery and material recycling.
  • Tougher anti-waste regulations aim to recycle 42% of the used tyres collected by 2028.
  • New recycling techniques such as pyrolysis and vapothermolysis offer hope for a “zero waste” future.
Épisode 5/5

Eco-design for solar: when environmental gains go hand in hand with efficiency
On February 17th, 2026
4 min reading time
DOUMIT_Farah
Farah Doumit
Research Associate at the Center for Management Research (I³-CRG) at Ecole Polytechnique (IP Paris)
Benjamin Lehiany_VF
Benjamin Lehiany
Research Associate at Centre de Recherche en Gestion (I³-CRG) and Lecturer at Ecole Polytechnique (IP Paris)

Key takeaways

  • In Europe, installed photovoltaic capacity exceeded 260 GW in 2023, with annual growth above 25%.
  • Between 2010 and 2023, the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for ground-mounted photovoltaic plants fell by 90% globally, dropping from $460/MWh to less than $45/MWh.
  • Approximately 70% of a solar farm's carbon footprint comes from the manufacturing of photovoltaic panels.
  • Eco-design levers for solar plants can reduce environmental impacts by 1% to 13%, for an additional cost below 0.1% of LCOE.
  • Three major eco-design levers are identified: priority levers, conditional levers, and support levers.

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