SunCrafter – solar generation
Country: Germany
Award: Participant
SunCrafter develops solar panels into extremely simple and maintenance free systems by upcycling them. The SunCrafter team integrates circular economy into the electrification challenge and disrupts the way last mile energy access is delivered. Via this technology approach, the lifespan of solar panels is drastically extended and the panels are made water- and weather-proof. In terms of adaption to climate change, they are suitable for affected areas, as they can withstand floods, heat and storms. SunCrafter is aiming at alleviating energy poverty worldwide, especially in remote and vulnerable regions and disaster areas. Thanks to the complexity-cutting technology, the sun-run systems need no technician or know-how for their installation and maintenance over their entire lifetime, a critical factor in the development and aid sector. To ensure a sustainable value chain, SunCrafter wants to source the decommissioned panels within the respective country or region and train local partners in the reconfiguration process of the modules. By re-purposing decommissioned solar modules, SunCrafter cuts costs, prolongs lifetimes, reduces electrical waste and acts in the realms of the circular economy.