In a groundbreaking move toward sustainable industry and green energy, Swiss innovation is once again shining bright — literally. A Swiss company, Panatere, has inaugurated two solar furnaces in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a city renowned as the cradle of Swiss watchmaking. These high-tech furnaces are designed to melt and recycle steel waste from watchmakers and medical instrument manufacturers using nothing but concentrated solar energy.
Harnessing the Power of the Sun for Circular Manufacturing
Nestled in the Jura Mountains, bordering France, this region is famous for its precision craftsmanship and metal-based industries. Panatere’s ambitious goal is to close the industrial loop by taking steel offcuts from factories and transforming them into reusable ingots through solar melting. These recycled materials will then be supplied back to companies in the region, creating a short and sustainable supply chain.
CEO Raphael Broye, who spent over a decade nurturing this vision, described the inauguration as the culmination of “a dream ten years in the making.” According to Broye, the newly opened solar furnaces mark just the beginning. Panatere plans to launch a full-scale solar recycling factory by 2028, potentially in the Wallis Mountains in southwestern Switzerland. Once operational, the facility aims to produce 1,000 tonnes of solar-recycled steel annually, operating at furnace temperatures nearing 2,000°C — a feat previously unimaginable in industrial metal recycling.
Engineering the Future of Green Metallurgy
The prototype furnace, developed with input from 148 scientists and engineers, is an engineering marvel. It features a 140-square-meter heliostat — a system of movable mirrors — and a 10-meter-wide parabolic dish that focuses sunlight onto a crucible, where metals are melted cleanly without fossil fuels. This process dramatically reduces carbon emissions while proving that solar metallurgy is not just a futuristic concept but an industrial reality.
The team faced significant technical challenges, from wind affecting mirror alignment to Saharan dust dimming solar intensity and extreme Swiss temperatures ranging from -20°C to over 30°C. Yet, their persistence paid off, paving the way for a new chapter in eco-industrial innovation.
Sustainability Meets Profitability
With metal prices soaring globally, particularly for copper and steel, Broye believes the economics of solar recycling now make perfect sense. “There is a real economic model to develop,” he said, emphasizing that even with high Swiss labor costs, sustainability can be profitable. Panatere’s model underscores the growing realization that industrial waste is not a liability but a resource — “a treasure trove round the back of their factories,” as Broye puts it.
Conclusion
Panatere’s solar furnaces represent more than a technological milestone; they symbolize a paradigm shift in European manufacturing — one that combines tradition, innovation, and environmental responsibility. If successful, this initiative could inspire industries worldwide to turn toward solar-driven recycling, redefining what’s possible in the pursuit of a circular, carbon-free economy.
