SPR launches automated bifacial solar panel recycling line

SolarPanelRecycling.com (SPR) has launched what it claims is the first dedicated bifacial solar panel recycling line in the United States.

The Salisbury, North Carolina-based company says the new line enables clean glass separation of bifacial modules at recovery rates of 99 percent or higher and underscores its commitment to setting new industry standards in efficiency, recovery rates and eco-friendly processes for the industry.

According to SPR, while the solar market previously had been dominated by monofacial solar panels, the industry is standardizing bifacial modules at a quick pace because of their higher efficiencies and energy yields in the growing utility sector.

Citing IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) research claiming that bifacial modules are set to account for more than 70 percent of the market by 2033, SPR says its new automatic line positions the company to meet the demand for bifacial recycling services. The company says it already is experiencing an uptick in bifacials hitting the recycling stream because of panels being damaged during transport, installation or extreme weather.

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“The future of solar recycling demands innovation and SPR is committed to leading the way by establishing best practices,” SPR CEO Brett C. Henderson says. “Our investment in a dedicated bifacial recycling line is a proactive step to ensure that our recycling services are scalable and that we can maximize recovery, minimize waste and support the sustainability goals of the industry.

“True solar recycling goes beyond shredding panels. It requires cleanly separated commodities that can reenter the supply chain, creating real value and minimizing environmental impact. This new technology marks a major milestone for SPR and for the solar industry as a whole.”

The company identified the inefficiencies that monofacial recycling lines presented for bifacial modules, particularly in glass recovery rates and manual labor, leading its engineers and research and development (R&D) teams to develop the new proprietary recycling line. SPR says unlike partial recyclers that shred whole panels—commingling silicon, glass, metals and plastics into “unusable” scrap—SPR’s process ensures clean separation of all components before returning them to the manufacturing supply chain.