PVTIME – Panatere, which is based in the canton of Jura, has officially launched the world’s first two solar-powered industrial furnaces in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. The furnaces are dedicated to producing fully recycled green steel, which the company describes as a model of true circular sustainability.
The alloy sorting process and solar furnace technology used by Panatere are patent-protected. The furnaces utilise 500 concave mirrors paired with heliostats to focus sunlight and reach temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Celsius. This innovative technology can melt metal completely in just 90 minutes with zero carbon dioxide emissions.
Switzerland imports 140,000 tonnes of stainless steel each year, of which 15,800 tonnes are used in watchmaking and 6,500 tonnes in the medical sector.
Raphaël Broye, Panatere’s CEO, says that the company’s goal is to recycle 5 per cent of the metal produced in Switzerland in order to avoid exporting it. The centre is expected to produce 1,000 tonnes of solar-powered steel per year by 2028.
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