Collaboration between Silicon Ranch Corp., a sizable independent power producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, and SOLARCYCLE, a tech-driven solar recycling platform, will recycle obsolete solar modules from Silicon Ranch projects using SOLARCYCLE's high-recovery recycling technology.
The collaboration will provide a domestic supply of recycled materials, including aluminium, glass, silicon, and precious metals like silver and copper, which are necessary for the manufacture of new solar panels and will support the development of the U.S. solar manufacturing sector.
Additionally, from the perspective of environmental protection, recycling solar panels lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing PV modules and minimises the discharge of dangerous materials from waste streams.
The recycling process employed by SOLARCYCLE recovers about 95 per cent of the value of solar panels, which can then be put back into the supply chain and utilised to make new panels. Silicon Ranch is SOLARCYCLE's first utility-scale partner and has an operating portfolio of more than 145 solar power projects across 15 states.
Aluminium has many intriguing properties that make it an indispensable component of solar power systems, including lightweight, high strength, proper corrosion resistance, high surface reflectivity, excellent electrical and thermal conductivities, and unique optic properties of its anodic coating.
The collaboration was formed at a crucial juncture because of expectations that the newly approved Inflation Reduction Act will increase demand for solar energy and a local supply chain. According to a recent National Renewable Energy Laboratory study, recycling can satisfy 25 to 30 per cent of domestic solar manufacturing demands in the United States by 2040 for some components.
Due to its excellent conductivity and strength, aluminium frames are used in solar panels to defend against lightning during thunderstorms. Aluminium continues to contribute to the development of renewable energy industries today, including solar panel construction. The introduction of aluminium as a commercially viable metal transformed nearly every industry it entered.
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