By 2050, the world could see up to 3.3 billion retired solar panels needing sustainable disposal solutions. In the U.S. alone this could mean more than 30 million retired solar panels by 2030. What will happen to these panels as they reach the end of their life?
At the same time, we face another challenge driven by the rapid expansion of advanced domestic manufacturing, data centers, AI, and electrification: over the next five years, U.S. electricity demand is expected to grow by almost 16%. That’s a stark increase for an industry that saw a <1% increase annually for the last 20 years.
SOLARCYCLE sees colossal opportunity where these two issues intersect. We can mine and refine retired solar panels for high-value materials—aluminum, silver, copper, glass and silicon—that are essential for domestic manufacturing and energy independence. We can use solar “trash” to fuel the U.S. manufacturing renaissance. With partners like Microsoft, EDP, Engie, Canadian Solar, Sunrun, AES, and Invenergy we're not alone in our view.
Mining the Future: The Circular Economy for Solar
The U.S. is embarking on a manufacturing resurgence, driven by the need to build energy infrastructure and advanced technology domestically. This effort will demand vast amounts of critical materials—aluminum, steel, glass, copper.
While new mining operations will still play a role, the fastest, most cost-effective, and sustainable way to secure these materials is to tap into the supply that is already here. The aluminum frames, copper wiring, silicon cells, glass face, and even plastic backing found in a recycled solar panel can all be recovered, refined, and reused to manufacture American-made products.
Our material offtakers are using aluminum to make everything from cars and planes to new solar panels. Copper, one of the most important materials for energy technology, is needed for EVs, solar and wind, and grid infrastructure. Silicon is turned into an alloy to make steel stronger or micronized to replace graphite in battery anodes. Plastics can be compressed into wood replacements for things like fence posts or shipping pallets. The list goes on.
Global energy leaders are catching on. In 2024, SOLARCYCLE recycled nearly 500,000 panels from its 80+ partners. We successfully returned over 3.5 million pounds of aluminum and more than 365,000 pounds of solarMETALs––including silver, copper, and silicon––from retired solar panels back to the supply chain. These materials are now being reintegrated into onshoring the supply chain, reducing dependence on foreign sources and strengthening domestic manufacturing.
And we’re just getting started.
The Circular Solar Campus: A First-of-Its-Kind Innovation
SOLARCYCLE is taking the next step toward transforming domestic energy. This month, we broke ground on our Circular Solar Campus in Cedartown Georgia, a facility designed to recycle retired panels and manufacture new solar glass sheets from recovered glass—a first in the world.
This innovation represents a major leap forward in both solar technology and U.S. manufacturing. By turning solar panel disposal into new, high-quality materials, we are creating a true closed-loop system for the solar industry—one that prioritizes sustainability while meeting the growing demand for American-made clean energy components.
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Why This Matters for American Energy
Recycling solar panels is about more than just sustainability. It’s about securing America’s energy future.
Meeting U.S. demand for power requires a reliable and cost-effective supply of the critical materials needed to build the next generation of energy infrastructure. By leveraging the resources we already have—millions of end-of-life solar panels—we can accelerate progress toward these goals without importing materials from overseas or waiting for new mining operations to come online.
Powering the American manufacturing with renaissance with recycled materials will also require a lot less energy. Producing aluminum from recycled material uses 95% less energy than mining it and refining Bauxite, for example. Using post-consumer recycled glass cullet to make new solar glass requires significantly less power since cullet melts at a much lower temperature than virgin glass. By using recycled content, we can meaningfully alleviate strain on America’s power infrastructure.
Recycling isn’t just a solution for waste—it’s a strategic advantage. It supports U.S. energy independence by reducing reliance on foreign supply chains, lowering costs, lowering energy demand, and ensuring American manufacturing can thrive. Let’s do this!
