-
- Developing and generating for our planet
- Doral’s Contribution to Reducing Emissions and Addressing for Climate Change
-
Innovation
Full chapter- Innovation
- A Leader in Israel’s Energy Storage Sector
- Doral Tech – Energy of Innovation
- A Bridge to Academia and Future Technologies
- Leading the Field of Dual-Use Renewable Energy Production in Israel
- Development of ‘Green Hydrogen’ Projects
- Development and Management of Environmental Infrastructure Integrated with Renewable Energy
- At the Forefront of Israel’s Green Electricity Market
- Reducing Water Consumption
- Preserving Biodiversity
- Waste Treatment and Promotion of Circular Economy
- Our Overall Environmental Impact – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data
- Progress Against Targets
-
-
- Responsible and Ethical Management of Our Business
-
Corporate Management at Doral
Full chapter - Corporate Governance for ESG
- Business Ethics and Compliance at Doral
- Preventing Bribery, Corruption, and Conducting Internal Audits
- Information Security and Business Continuity
- Risk Management
- Responsibility in Our Value Chain
- Progress Against Our Targets
-
Waste Treatment and Promotion of Circular Economy
Doral aims to be a leader in its field, committed to the highest environmental standards regarding the treatment of solid and hazardous waste. Most of Doral’s solid waste, apart from office operations, is generated from the wear and tear of photovoltaic panels (currently in minor quantities of only a few hundred panels), batteries, and inverters. The Company strives to find solutions for reusing decommissioned panels and, in the future, solutions for treating batteries and inverters.
The Company is working to find solutions to reduce the waste sent to landfills through recycling and reuse, as well as encouraging investment in developing innovative ventures for treating this waste.
Due to the increasing global adoption of renewable energy sources, the consumption of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is on the rise and is expected to reach 60 million tons of PV waste by 2050, with an expected value of $ 15 billion in recycled materials. Common solar panels are based on silicon or thin-film technology and are composed of materials such as glass, plastic, aluminum, silicon, and other metals. Doral seeks to encourage new ideas and technologies to address the growing potential waste of solar panels, in the absence of available recycling solutions in Israel.
We are actively seeking solutions and promoting activities in several dimensions:
| Reusing Old Solar Panels | Identifying Innovative Solutions | Forming Partnerships and Leading Forums to Find Practical Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Functional solar panels are transferred to organizations operating at other sites for reuse (e.g., the Bedouin population in the Negev). Broken panels are sent for disposal. In 2023, approximately 800 old panels were replaced, about 700 were sold for reuse, and 100 damaged panels were sent to an authorized construction waste disposal site. Overall, about 87.5%[1] of the solar panel waste units were sold for reuse. In the future, as global technologies mature that deal with the wear and tear of photovoltaic panels, batteries, and inverters, the amount of waste sent to landfills is expected to decrease. | We are continuously monitoring innovative applications for treating solar panels in Israel and worldwide to promote reuse in Israel and other sites where the Company operates. | The Company continues to engage with academia and various bodies to advance initiatives in the field, such as the 'Solar Panel Recycling Challenge' within the Circular Economy Forum, and unique collaborations with Afeka College established in previous years. |
Collaborations and Promoting Open Innovation in Addressing the Circular Economy Challenge
The Company operates through investment, research, development, and ecosystem promotion pathways to find solutions to the issue of material wear and tear in the industry.
Responsible Storage - Creating New Batteries from Old Ones
Ascend Elements is a leading company that develops unique technology for recycling lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and producing active materials for new batteries. The Company offers battery manufacturers and end-users, including those in the renewable energy sector, recycling solutions such as recycling of battery production waste, and recycling services for batteries and energy storage systems at the end of their life cycle, effectively enabling upscaling for batteries.
The company’s recycling process, called Hydro-to-Cathode®, transforms battery waste and storage facilities into high-value raw materials for EV batteries, facilitating a significant leap in sustainability for the entire industry. This process enhances sustainability from waste utilization to the production of sustainable EV batteries and enables a sustainable production process with material tracking. The company’s recycling rate is approximately 98%.
In March 2021, Doral Tech joined an international group of strategic investors led by Orbia’s investment fund, securing an exclusive license to use the technology in Israel. In 2022, Ascend Elements raised about $300 million and received a non-dilutive grant of $480 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish lithium battery recycling plants and convert them into active materials for the battery industry. Additionally, Ascend Elements recently inaugurated the largest battery recycling plant in North America, capable of handling approximately 30,000 tons of battery waste annually (equivalent to about 70,000 EV batteries).
The Circular Economy Forum’s " Solar Panel Recycling" Challenge
The Circular Economy Forum, founded by the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, serves is a community for leading corporations and entrepreneurs aiming to shape the future through circular innovation. The forum seeks to encourage solutions that address the most pressing circular challenges faced by leading companies, providing funding and creating a community of peers and learning opportunities.
In August 2021, Doral launched and funded The Solar Panel Recycling Challenge within the forum. Through this challenge, Doral Tech is interested in investing in or forming joint ventures with innovative projects that can address this need.
Partnerships with Academia –Challenges for Students at Afeka College
Doral recognizes the importance of fostering open innovation and encouraging the next generation to take an active role in shaping our future. To this end, a unique partnership was formed with Afeka College, where challenges are presented to students to promote solutions in the field of renewable energy, offering the opportunity to win prizes and even receive investment to prove the feasibility of the proposed solution.
In 2021-2022, Doral’s challenges focused on the recycling and refurbishment of solar panels, emphasizing the importance of sustainable practices in managing the lifecycle of solar panels.
At the beginning of 2023, Doral introduced another challenge under the title Carbon to Value. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone will not be sufficient to limit global warming. it also necessitates the removal of significant amounts of these gases from the atmosphere. Large amounts of greenhouse gases must be ‘captured’ from the atmosphere to reverse the accumulated emissions balance. Converting or reusing carbon as a component for environmentally responsible materials with economic value offers an opportunity to address this challenge. Doral is committed to supporting initiatives that repurpose carbon into valuable materials, thus offering a promising solution to mitigating the impacts of climate change.