Solarcycle and RWE power US solar panel recycling

US recycler Solarcycle has signed a contract with renewable energy provider RWE to process its end-of-life solar panels in Texas.

Panels from RWE’s West of the Pecos solar facility are being treated at Solarcycle’s recycling plant in Odessa. It uses proprietary, patented technology to extract up to 95% of a panel’s value, recovering aluminium, silver, copper, silicon and lead-free glass.

Independent laboratory testing has confirmed the purity levels of recovered materials. Solarcycle is eager to return critical materials to domestic supply chains to support US manufacturing.

One million

Last year, Solarcycle processed almost 500 000 panels sourced from more than 90 companies. It aims to recycle one million panels by the end of 2025.

Amongst its 2024 milestones are:

• diverting 12.7 tonnes of waste from landfill
• preventing 13.7 million kilograms of carbon emissions
• hiring 86 employees, expanding the workforce by 110%
• increasing recycling capacity by 228%
• growing its customer base to 90 of the largest 120 clean energy players
• equity funding of over EUR 71 million from partners including Microsoft

High standards

With three facilities in Arizona, Texas and Georgia, the recycler now provides national coverage for RWE’s growing renewable energy network.

‘RWE has a sophisticated understanding of solar panel recycling and knows the right questions to ask,’ says Solarcycle co-founder Jesse Simons. ‘We encourage everyone in the solar industry to insist on these high standards for recycling and back it up with extensive third-party testing.’

The recycler adds that it started constructing a Circular Solar Campus – a solar glass factory and co-located recycling facility. Located in Cedartown, Georgia, the facility has a capacity to process 10 million panels per year.