Solarcycle partners with Sol Systems to recycle solar panels

Sol Systems, a Washington-based renewable energy solutions developer, has partnered with Mesa, Arizona-based Solarcycle to recycle solar panels. The companies partnered earlier this year to recycle panels from a community solar array in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, after it was damaged by extreme weather.

Solarcycle’s proprietary technology extracts materials such as silver, silicon, copper, aluminum and glass. Extracted materials are then refined and reintroduced into the domestic supply chain.

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“What Solarcycle can do is groundbreaking, and it aligns with Sol Systems’ dedication to sustainability and innovation, especially as solar installations rapidly increase and the need for better end-of-life solutions for solar panels becomes more urgent,” says Eugene Rhee, associate vice president of performance engineering at Sol Systems.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s research suggests that by 2040, recycled panels and materials could meet 25 to 30 percent of the United States’ domestic solar manufacturing needs. Recycled modules can become a valuable source of materials for domestic manufacturing, reducing the U.S.’ vulnerability to supply disruptions, Solarcycle says.

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“Sol Systems is helping to lead the way and usher in a new era of clean energy by ensuring that their solar panels get a new life after they have been decommissioned,” says Jesse Simons, chief commercial officer and co-founder of Solarcycle. “We are thrilled to be working with their team on our shared mission to make solar even more sustainable, and we look forward to recycling their solar panels for many years to come.”