LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS, Switzerland – In a significant stride towards sustainable manufacturing, Swiss firm Panatere has inaugurated the world’s first industrial solar furnaces designed to recycle high-value steel, particularly offcuts from the luxury watchmaking and medical instrument industries. Unveiled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a hub of Swiss horology, this pioneering technology uses concentrated sunlight to produce “green steel” with a near-zero carbon footprint.
The innovation offers a tangible solution for local circular economy practices, transforming valuable production waste into high-quality ingots that can be recirculated directly to Swiss manufacturers, drastically reducing CO2 emissions and strengthening local supply chains.
A Decade in the Making: Panatere’s Solar Vision
Panatere’s journey to this industrial breakthrough has been a decade-long commitment to circular sustainability. CEO Raphaël Broye conceived the vision for solar-powered recycling around 2015. The company, an SME specializing in processing and recycling metallic raw materials, aims to address the challenges of resource sovereignty and sustainability in Switzerland, which imports 140,000 tonnes of stainless steel annually.
How the Solar Furnaces Work
The newly operational facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds features two industrial solar furnaces that leverage concentrated solar power.
Harnessing Concentrated Sunlight
The system employs 500 concave mirrors and a heliostat—a movable mirror array covering 140 square meters—to precisely focus the sun’s rays onto a crucible. This focused energy allows the furnaces to reach extreme temperatures of up to 2,000°C. At these temperatures, steel, stainless steel, and titanium can be efficiently melted and purified in approximately 1.5 hours without producing any CO2 emissions.
Patented Technology for Sustainable Recycling
Both the alloy sorting process and the solar furnace design are protected by two patents, highlighting the uniqueness of Panatere’s innovation. This technology has been verified for its energy and environmental efficiency by impact assessment firms and the Federal Office for the Environment.
Environmental and Economic Implications of Green Steel
The launch of these solar furnaces marks a paradigm shift with profound implications for industry and global sustainability efforts.
Drastically Reduced Carbon Footprint
The “green steel” process achieves a 165-fold reduction in carbon footprint compared to conventional methods of steel production. Traditional steelmaking is one of the most carbon-intensive industrial processes, accounting for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. By replacing fossil fuels and electricity with renewable solar energy, Panatere demonstrates that industrial-scale metal melting can be achieved with virtually zero CO2 emissions, crucial for meeting ambitious climate targets.
Strengthening Local Circular Economy
Panatere’s initiative creates a crucial local circular economy by taking steel offcuts and waste from local watchmaking, medical, and aeronautical industries and transforming them back into high-quality ingots. This not only reduces reliance on international imports but also enhances supply chain resilience and resource sovereignty for high-value industries in Switzerland. Raphael Broye, CEO of Panatere, emphasized the interest in recycling valuable resources locally, aiming to recover 5% of metals produced in Switzerland instead of exporting them.
Future Outlook and Scaling Production
The current site in La Chaux-de-Fonds is considered “only a step” by CEO Raphaël Broye, who intends to demonstrate the industrial viability of this solar technology.
Ambitious Production Targets
Panatere plans to scale annual production to 1,000 tonnes of solar steel by 2028 from a larger factory, with continued testing with local companies. This expansion is expected to create local jobs and paves the way for the future development of a solar center for processing strategic metals.
Collaborative Support and Recognition
The project has garnered significant support from various institutional partners, including the Federal Office for the Environment, the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, and Bern, SIG (Services Industriels de Genève), the Swiss Climate Foundation, and Energy Lab. Collaborative efforts also included the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) on the design, with 148 scientists and professionals contributing to the initial prototype. The first solar steel bar will be exhibited at the International Watch Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, symbolizing the blend of tradition and sustainable innovation.
This groundbreaking development positions Switzerland at the forefront of eco-conscious industrial innovation, providing a scalable model for decarbonizing foundational industrial processes globally.
