Solarcycle wins major contract to recycle solar panels at its U.S. facility

Texas — SOLARCYCLE announced it has signed a Recycling Services Agreement with RWE Clean Energy, the third largest renewable energy company in America.

The partnership ensures that solar panels from many of RWE’s solar energy projects will be sustainably recycled at the end of their operational life, supporting RWE’s commitment to building a circular and zero-waste solar economy in the United States while working to ensure America’s growing energy demand.

RWE conducted a rigorous selection process before choosing SOLARCYCLE as a recycling partner. Panels from RWE’s West of the Pecos solar facility in Texas were transported to SOLARCYCLE’s Odessa facility where the recycling process was closely evaluated and audited. Independent third-party laboratory testing confirmed the high purity levels of recovered materials, including lead-free glass and metals at industry-leading purity standards.

“We applaud RWE’s commitment to the circular economy, as demonstrated through their extensive quality testing. RWE has a sophisticated understanding of solar panel recycling and knows the right questions to ask. We encourage everyone in the solar industry to insist on these high standards for recycling and back it up with extensive third-party testing,” said Jesse Simons, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of SOLARCYCLE.

SOLARCYCLE’s proprietary technology, protected by dozens of patents and developed in its state-of-the-art research and development facilities, extracts up to 95% of a panel’s value—including aluminum, silver, copper, silicon, and glass. This level of purity enables the company to return the critical materials back into domestic supply chains to support U.S. manufacturing. With three large facilities in Arizona, Texas, and Georgia, SOLARCYCLE provides national coverage to support RWE’s growing operational asset base in the U.S.

Already, SOLARCYCLE has processed nearly 500,000 panels—more than any other recycler in North America—and is on track to recycle 1 million panels by the end of 2025. RWE joins more than 90 leading energy companies that have chosen SOLARCYCLE as their recycling partner.

In 2024, RWE and SOLARCYCLE partnered on successful recycling projects at RWE’s Alamo 7, West of the Pecos and Big Star sites, with plans to continue and expand the collaboration into 2025 and beyond.