Arizona — Silfab Solar announced an agreement with SOLARCYCLE® to purchase ultra-low carbon domestic glass for its USA-made solar panels.
The framework agreement expands Silfab’s existing solar panel recycling partnership with SOLARCYCLE and further advances Silfab’s ongoing sustainability objectives, the company stated.
SOLARCYCLE recently announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind factory in Georgia to use recycled materials from retired solar panels to make new solar glass. The planned SOLARCYCLE glass facility is about 300 miles from Silfab Solar’s newest factory in South Carolina that will soon add 1 gigawatt America-made cell production and another 1.3 gigawatts of module production.
“SOLARCYCLE is an ideal partner because of its demonstrated success and innovative processes that already have made Silfab a more sustainable operation. Utilizing American-produced glass in our PV modules further meets the county’s demands for USA content in made-in-America clean energy products and creates additional U.S. jobs,” said Paolo Maccario, Silfab President and CEO.
Silfab Solar is a Canadian-based manufacturer of PV modules.
By purchasing SOLARCYCLE’s domestically made ultra-low carbon glass, the companies are reducing the climate impacts created during manufacturing by over 30% and from shipping by more than 50%.
“We are pleased to announce Silfab as anchor customer for our ultra-low carbon domestic glass made in America from recycled solar panels,” said Suvi Sharma, SOLARCYCLE co-founder and CEO. “This marks a significant step in securing an integrated and reliable supply chain for solar made in America. We are grateful to Silfab for modeling leadership within the industry with their deep commitment to advancing sustainability and emissions reductions in the clean energy sector.”
Among its many sustainability initiatives, Silfab sends older or under-performing modules to SOLARCYCLE for recycling. Silfab panels undergo rigorous quality assurance testing at production facilities, which enables Silfab to provide an industry-leading 25-year workmanship warranty for its panels. In addition to recycling its panels with SOLARCYCLE, Silfab also recycles materials left over from the production process.
“Delivering clean energy in North America means producing the highest-performing and most durable solar modules under the strongest environmental and social responsibility standards,” said Ted Ferguson, Silfab’s Director of Sustainability. “Sustainability has been embedded in Silfab’s values and operations since the company’s inception more than 40 years ago.”
Today’s agreement is an example of Silfab’s ongoing strategic initiatives to strengthen its U.S. supply chain for critical solar panel components and expand North American module production.
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