Magnus & Weiss
Solarge intends to make the energy transition more sustainable and is contributing to this with one-of-a-kind circular and PFAS-free solar panels. Luc Roelofs, CFO: ‘Since its founding in 2018, there have been big ambitions for this plan, so we are really scaling up now. As a startup, we don’t employ our own lawyers, but we think it’s important to have a single point of contact who can cover the full range. Magnus & Weiss’ legal outsourcing concept suits us perfectly.’
‘We work primarily with Taco Huizinga of Magnus & Weiss. Everyone here now sees him as our legal colleague. That’s because of the service he offers, but also because of the personal connection we have with him. In the end, it’s all about a relationship of trust. Taco makes that very easy for us.’
Strong start
‘From the beginning, our ambition has been to scale up in a big way. So in everything we do, we ask: is this scalable? That means that you have to think about contracts, conditions and other legal issues in a future-oriented way at an early stage. You need strong legal support for that.’
‘Taco provided us with purchasing and sales contracts, general terms and conditions and general conditions of sale, for example. What’s important here is that he monitors the relationship between all those documents. So that we don’t promise something in the terms and conditions of sale that we can’t deliver when we are sourcing. The fact that Taco oversees our entire supply chain offers enormous added value.’
SABIC and IP
‘SABIC is the producer and developer of the plastic we use for our solar panels. We are licensed to use the material and the IP that goes with it for the solar market worldwide. SABIC is one of the largest companies in the world, we are a startup. Still, the necessary contracts have to match. SABIC has a large team of lawyers to properly put such a contract together and expects a full-fledged discussion partner. So it’s important to hire really solid legal advice and get thorough assistance from the start. With Magnus & Weiss, we managed to do that.’
International licensing
‘With our circular, PFAS-free solar panels, we have a beautiful and unique product to offer. So it is not surprising that we are already being approached by parties from abroad who have heard of us. They want to start producing the panels we make for the Dutch market under licence for the Spanish, French and American markets, for example. So we are setting up a licensing programme and corresponding contracts for that with Taco. There is a lot involved if we are going to license our own IP and the IP that we are exclusively permitted to use from SABIC to others.’
Company structure and growth
‘Solarge started with one private limited company, which is normal for a startup and it was sufficient for a short time. Once growth really starts, you start thinking about whether that structure will be useful in the future. You have to deal with IP, liabilities, shares and partnerships. So Taco helped us switch to three private limited companies. Now that we are on the eve of international growth, we are rigging that up a bit further. Taco is working with our accountant and insurance intermediary for that. So with Magnus & Weiss at our side, we are confident that our legal affairs are thoroughly taken care of. Both now and in the future.’
Circular, PFAS-free solar panels from Solarge
‘In the energy transition, solar energy plays a huge role. It is, in a lot of countries, the most economical way to generate energy. So solar energy is on the rise. But there are also considerable challenges. After all, a solar panel is sustainable as long as it is on a roof. At the moment, unfortunately, it is anything but sustainable to produce a solar panel. And at the end of its lifetime, there is no good technical or business solution yet to reuse all those materials.’
Manufacturing, CO2 and PFAS
‘Solar panels come in two types. One is a glass-glass solar panel, where both the top and bottom are made of sheet glass. For that, you need enormously high temperatures and therefore cause high CO2 emissions. The other variant is glass-backsheet, with an aluminium frame. The backsheet, the back, is almost without exception made of PFAS-containing plastic. Almost everyone has heard of PFAS: man-made chemicals that never disappear from nature and cause great damage. There will be a ban on the use of PFAS, but European legislation is still some time away.’
End of life: through the shredder
‘Worldwide, solar panels have now been in use for many years. So we increasingly have to deal with panels reaching the end of their lifespan. But those solar panels are not designed to be recycled. So what happens next? The cable is cut off, because it contains copper. If there is an aluminium frame around the panel, that comes off too. The rest of the panel simply goes into the shredder and disappears into the asphalt. Even the thin silver layer it contains. A waste.’
Ways of doing things differently
‘We make our panels without sheet glass and aluminium, which makes a huge difference in CO2 emissions. We make our panels from plastic. Worldwide, we are now the only producer of PFAS-free plastic solar panels. We owe this to our cooperation with SABIC (formerly DSM Plastics, among others). They have developed a PFAS-free plastic that is both transparent and UV-resistant, allowing us to give a 25-year power warranty.’
‘We have designed the panels so that, at the end of their lifetime, we can disassemble all the materials and let them enter separate recycling chains.’
Yield and lifespan
‘Our innovation is in the packaging of the solar cells. We buy those solar cells and they are best-in-class. As a result, the yield from our solar panels is the same as from conventional panels. The lifespan is also equivalent. We meet all the European requirements for solar panels, but with many additional benefits.’
Want to know more about Solarge?
Take a look at the recently revamped website at https://www.solarge.com/nl/. There, in addition to more information, you will find a short film about the company’s production line.
