Solar panel recycler SOLARCYCLE and Arizona State University just proved that solar panels made with recycled glass work just as well as new ones.
In a new collaboration with Arizona State’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the solar recycling company created a prototype solar panel – what they call a “mini module”– using 50% recycled glass pulled from end-of-life solar panels. The mini module matched the performance of panels made entirely with new materials.
The research was led by Dr. Zachary Holman, Arizona State’s vice dean for research and innovation, and his team. Researcher Kate Fisher built and tested two sets of panels: one using only new glass, and the other using a 50/50 mix of new and recycled glass cullet. The recycled material came from panels processed using SOLARCYCLE’s technology.
Using industry-standard power conversion efficiency tests, the results were clear: There was no statistically significant difference in how the two types of panels performed.
“This is exactly the kind of result we hope for when industry and academia collaborate,” said Holman. “Together, we proved that you don’t have to sacrifice performance to build solar panels more sustainably.”
This isn’t just a one-off science experiment. SOLARCYCLE says the recycled-glass panel is part of a bigger plan to make solar manufacturing more circular – and less wasteful. The company plans to build a solar glass factory in Cedartown, Georgia, next to its existing recycling factory. It’ll be the first in the world to use recycled cullet like this at commercial scale.
“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,” said SOLARCYCLE’s CTO and co-founder, Pablo Dias.
Read more: SOLARCYCLE’s new plant will recycle 25% of all US end-of-life solar panels in 2030
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