US-based PV recycling firm Solarcycle plans to build a 5GW solar panel recycling plant in Georgia, US.
Located in Cedatorwn, Georgia, the 255,000 square foot facility will have the capacity to recycle materials from ten million solar panels per year. This would represent nearly 25-30% of the retired solar panels in the US by 2030.
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Initial capacity will start at two million panels per year, with the company scaling up to meet the growing demand for end-of-life solar services and domestic solar supply.
This facility will be adjacent to a solar glass recycling factory that was unveiled in February this year. The solar glass factory will produce specialised glass for crystalline-silicon (C-Si) PV modules and will have a similar capacity with 5-6GW of solar glass annually.
Between the two locations, Solarcycle expects to employ over 1,250 full-time employees, once it reaches full capacity. This new facility will be move-in-ready and operational by mid-2025, while the adjacent solar glass factory is planned to be operational in 2026.
The company currently operates facilities in Odessa, Texas and Mesa, Arizona.
“We are pleased to accelerate our work in Cedartown, Georgia in response to continued demand for solar recycling. By scaling recycling and solar glass manufacturing through a vertically integrated process, we are filling a critical gap in America’s solar supply chain and closing the loop for domestic solar manufacturing,” said Suvi Sharma, CEO and co-founder of Solarcycle.
This latest recycling facility will have the capacity to recover up to 99% of PV materials used in a solar panel and will be optimised for bifacial C-Si panels. Last year Solarcycle spoke with PV Tech Premium regarding its patented process to recover at least 95% of the value of the panel and return it in the domestic supply chain.
Throughout the year, the company has secured several glass and solar PV recycling deals with solar manufacturers Runergy, Heliene, Canadian Solar, Silfab and Qcells, among others.
Moreover, tech giant Microsoft has joined Solarcycle as one of the company’s investors, along with Fifth Wall, HG Ventures, Prologis Ventures, Closed Loop Partners and Urban Innovation Fund.
