Solar panels made in the US’s largest silicon-based solar panel factory will now be recycled, thanks to a new partnership.

The newly announced solar panel recycling agreement between Qcells and SOLARCYCLE is a first-of-its-kind partnership between a large solar panel maker and an advanced solar recycler in the US.

Recycled materials from Qcells’ panels, such as aluminum, silver, copper, silicon, and low-iron glass, will be reused in the domestic supply chain to manufacture the next generation of clean energy products. SOLARCYCLE says its patented solar panel recycling technology extracts more than 95% of the value in a module. That’s at the high-achieving end of the current solar recycling industry standard – the US’s largest solar company, First Solar, says it can recover 90% of the value.

At 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of production capacity expected to be reached this year and 4,000 jobs created, Qcells’ facility in Dalton, Georgia, is the US’s largest silicon-based solar panel factory. It was also the first solar panel factory to be built since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

In January 2023, the Seoul-headquartered company announced it would invest more than $2.5 billion to build the US’s first complete solar supply chain in Georgia – the largest-ever investment in clean energy manufacturing in the US to date. That included expanding the Dalton solar factory and building a fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia, that will manufacture solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels.

Suvi Sharma, SOLARCYCLE’s CEO and cofounder, said, “When you look at the footprint of Qcells panels in commercial and residential solar across America, the impact of today’s partnership announcement is quite significant.”

SOLARCYCLE currently operates recycling facilities in Odessa, Texas, and Mesa, Arizona, and has inked long-term partnerships with more than 40 of the US’s largest solar energy companies.

If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*