Global potential of solar-powered aluminium recycling
Global potential of solar-powered aluminium recycling
On the one hand, the map shows the global distribution of direct normal radiation. This is the amount of sunlight that is available without clouds and could be utilised for concentrated solar technologies - the higher the value, the better. The unit kWh/m²/a is calculated by multiplying the power of sunlight on the earth's surface (up to approx. 1 kW/m²) by the number of hours of sunshine per year. This results in a maximum value of 3,800 kWh/m²/a for the north of Chile, for example, with over 3,000 hours of sunshine. The green dots indicate the locations where aluminium is recycled or where aluminium waste is stored - so-called secondary aluminium. The combination of locations with high direct normal radiation and secondary aluminium results in promising candidates for the use of concentrated solar radiation to recycle aluminium (at around 700 degrees Celsius).
