SOLARCYCLE is making major strides in advancing solar sustainability with the launch of a new state-of-the-art recycling facility in Cedartown, Georgia. The facility, set to become operational by mid-2025, will have the capacity to recycle up to 10 million solar panels annually—equivalent to 2 million panels in its first year, with plans for expansion as demand for end-of-life solar solutions continues to rise.
This ambitious project is designed to address the growing need for responsible disposal and recycling as millions of solar panels installed over the past decade approach the end of their life cycle. The facility is a key part of SOLARCYCLE’s vision to provide an efficient, circular solution for solar energy waste, ensuring that valuable materials from retired panels are recovered and reused.
The Cedartown plant is expected to recycle 25-30% of all “retired solar panels” in the U.S. by 2030, positioning SOLARCYCLE at the forefront of the solar recycling movement. The facility will also include a specialized solar glass manufacturing plant, the first of its kind in the U.S. This factory will produce glass for crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar panels, further bolstering the domestic solar supply chain.
Once fully operational, the Cedartown site will employ over 1,250 workers, contributing both to environmental sustainability and economic growth in the region. Suvi Sharma, CEO of SOLARCYCLE, emphasized the importance of this dual-facility approach: “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.”
One of the standout features of the Cedartown facility is its cutting-edge recycling technology, which boasts a recovery rate of up to 99% of the materials from solar panels—an impressive achievement in the industry. This includes the challenging task of recycling bifacial panels, which are increasingly used in solar installations but are more complex to process.
Unlike traditional recycling methods that treat all panels the same, SOLARCYCLE’s innovative process uses advanced techniques to separate and reuse materials more effectively based on panel type—monofacial or bifacial. The materials recovered from these panels will then be sent directly to the solar glass manufacturing facility next door, creating a seamless, closed-loop process that keeps valuable materials within the U.S. supply chain.
This approach helps SOLARCYCLE reduce the country’s reliance on imported raw materials for new panels, supporting the growth of domestic solar manufacturing.
The Cedartown facility marks SOLARCYCLE’s third U.S. location, following its existing plants in Odessa, Texas, and Mesa, Arizona. The company has developed long-term partnerships with over 70 major U.S. energy companies for end-of-life panel recycling, underscoring the widespread demand for sustainable panel disposal solutions in the solar sector.
The project has received significant backing from key stakeholders, including the U.S. government, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp, and corporate leaders. The Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy policies, which encourage renewable energy growth and domestic manufacturing, have played a crucial role in supporting the project’s development. Microsoft, too, has joined SOLARCYCLE’s list of investors, bringing both capital and a commitment to advancing sustainability in the energy sector.
With its new recycling and solar glass facilities, SOLARCYCLE is not only helping to address the environmental challenges posed by solar panel waste, but also strengthening the U.S. solar manufacturing ecosystem. This project is a key step in the nation’s transition to a more sustainable and self-reliant clean energy future.
By Impact Lab
