The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has approved the first call for aid to promote the circular economy of capital goods for renewable energy, which can be consulted here.
The program, called RENOCICLA, will allocate €100 million from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) to projects that facilitate ecodesign and comprehensive management of the useful life of components of these technologies, from the design phase to recycling and the recovery of valuable materials for use in new production cycles.
This initiative, which will be managed by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), is part of the Circular Economy PERTE (Perte Circular Economy) and will contribute to creating an entire industrial value chain around the advanced treatment and reuse of waste associated with the deployment of renewable energy in Spain.
Solar panels, lithium batteries and wind turbine blades
According to the call for proposals, which can be consulted here, the RENOCICLA program will allocate 80 million euros in aid for new investments in second-life facilities and plants, and the reuse and/or recycling of photovoltaic solar panels, lithium batteries, and wind turbine blades.
Priority will be given to the most advanced initiatives capable of improving the treatment and recovery of obsolete renewable energy equipment, with high percentages of reuse and recycling by weight—minimums between 65% and 85%, depending on the type of renewable energy equipment—as well as those that promote the recovery of valuable materials such as lithium or lithium ion, among others.
In addition, another 20 million euros will be allocated to finance innovative projects in the eco-design of components and equipment for renewable technologies, with the aim of improving their useful life, reusability, and recyclability. Developments that help incorporate an increasing percentage of secondary raw materials into manufacturing processes and reduce waste generation in this area may also benefit. Eligible proposals include industrial research initiatives, experimental developments, and feasibility studies.
The application period opens on July 8 and closes on September 16.
Competitive call
Non-repayable grants will be awarded on a competitive basis among the projects with the highest ratings based on their technical rigor, economic viability, and innovative nature, among other criteria. All facilities receiving grants must adhere to the principle of not causing significant harm to the environment (DNSH).
With its comprehensive approach, the RENOCICLA initiative consolidates the path opened by other ongoing projects affiliated with previous IDAE aid programs—also financed with NextGenEU funds —contributing to incorporating the circular economy approach into the renewable energy sector. This is the case with the creation of the first six wind turbine blade recycling plants in Spain, selected in the circular repowering call.
Raw materials
The widespread implementation in Spain of mature renewable technologies such as wind and solar photovoltaic, among others, makes it necessary to design systems that reduce waste from end-of-life equipment in a short period of time, allowing it to be replaced with more modern equipment. This also requires incentivizing the reuse and recycling of components and materials to reduce material extraction, minimizing the associated environmental impacts and contributing to increasing Spanish and European strategic autonomy.
For its part, storage is a technology with great development potential in the coming years and highly intensive in the use of elements such as lithium and lithium hydroxide, identified by the European Commission as critical raw materials and strategic raw materials, respectively.
The aid from this program is integrated into the PERTE (Circular Economy Program), contributing to the fulfillment of the objectives contained in the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy (EEEC) “Spain 2030,” endowed with almost 500 million euros in European funds, within its line dedicated to specific sectors, in which aid has also been made available for sectors such as textiles, fashion, and footwear, or for materials such as plastics.
