Canadian Solar’s Cradle-To-Cradle US Recycling Partnership

Canada-based solar PV manufacturer Canadian Solar has announced a partnership agreement for cradle-to-cradle module recycling with US-headquartered recycling company SOLARCYCLE.  

The manufacturer said this makes it one of the 1st crystalline silicon solar module manufacturers to offer comprehensive recycling services to its customers in the US.  

Under the arrangement reached, SOLARCYCLE will be Canadian Solar’s preferred recycling partner, and the latter will act as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner to the recycling company, offering upfront recycling services. 

Canadian Solar added that its customers can secure recycling services at the time of purchase. This will enable them to integrate sustainability into the lifecycle of their projects from the outset.  

“By including upfront recycling services as an add-on to the price of a solar module, Canadian Solar is helping to move the entire industry forward to ensure that we are truly sustainable, from cradle-to-cradle,” said SOLARCYLE CEO and Co-Founder Suvi Sharma. “We will look back on their leadership in this moment as one of the key strategies the solar industry used to embed our core values into our core operations.” 

This is not the 1st partnership for solar module recycling in the US for SOLARCYCLE. It has already announced similar collaborations with EDF Renewables North America, Qcells, and Sol Systems.  

SOLARCYLE claims its proprietary technology can recover up to 95% of the value of recycled panels in the form of extracting silver, silicon, copper, aluminum, and glass. The same are then refined and reintroduced into the domestic supply chain.  

It is already operating 2 recycling fabs in Odessa, Texas, and Mesa, Arizona. In February 2024, it announced Georgia as the location of its 3rd factory and 1st solar glass production facility with up to 5 GW or 6 GW annual capacity (see US Solar Module Recycler Expands With New Factory).    

For the upcoming RE+ event in California, TaiyangNews has partnered with EUPD Research and RE+ to host a 1-day conference on Solar Made In USA How to manufacture solar wafers, cells & modules competitively in the United States. At this event on September 9, 2024, Canadian Solar’s Corporate Senior VP Global Sales Thomas Koerner will speak about successfully establishing cell and module production factories in the US. Register for the event here.