SOLARCYCLE, a leading solar panel recycling company, in collaboration with Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, has successfully demonstrated that solar panels manufactured with 50% recycled glass perform identically to those made entirely from new materials. This pivotal research, conducted using a prototype “mini module,” marks a significant stride towards establishing a circular economy within the rapidly expanding solar industry.

The collaborative effort, spearheaded by Dr. Zachary Holman, Arizona State’s vice dean for research and innovation, involved meticulous testing. Researcher Kate Fisher constructed and evaluated two sets of mini modules: one utilizing only new glass, and the other incorporating a 50/50 blend of new and recycled glass cullet. The recycled material was sourced directly from end-of-life panels processed through SOLARCYCLE’s proprietary technology. Industry-standard power conversion efficiency tests revealed no statistically significant difference in performance between the two panel types, validating the efficacy of recycled content.

“This is exactly the kind of result we hope for when industry and academia collaborate,” stated Dr. Holman. “Together, we proved that you don’t have to sacrifice performance to build solar panels more sustainably.” This sentiment underscores the critical balance between environmental responsibility and operational efficiency that the industry seeks.

This research is not merely an academic exercise but forms a cornerstone of SOLARCYCLE’s broader strategy to foster a more circular and less wasteful solar manufacturing ecosystem. The company has announced plans to establish a solar glass factory in Cedartown, Georgia, adjacent to its existing recycling facility. This new plant is projected to be the first in the world to commercially utilize recycled cullet from end-of-life solar panels at scale, representing a paradigm shift in material sourcing for solar manufacturing.

Pablo Dias, CTO and co-founder of SOLARCYCLE, emphasized the strategic importance of this achievement: “By proving we can manufacture new solar panels using recycled materials that produce at peak performance levels, we’re taking a major step toward making the solar industry more sustainable, scalable, and self-reliant.” This initiative is particularly timely as the volume of end-of-life solar panels is projected to increase substantially in the coming years, necessitating robust recycling and material reintroduction pathways to mitigate waste and secure critical raw material supplies.