Runergy Alabama partners with Solarcycle to supply glass and recycle modules

Solarcycle will supply at least 4 GW of glass partially made from recycled solar modules.

October 15, 2024 Anne Fischer

Image: Solarcycle

Runergy Alabama, a solar module manufacturer, announced a new strategic partnership with Solarcycle, a solar recycling company. This is one of several partnerships that Solarcycle has with module manufacturers including Qcells and Canadian Solar.

Under the terms of the agreements with Runergy, Solarcycle will supply at least 4 GW of ultra-low carbon glass, partially made from recycled solar modules, over a period of five years for use in bifacial solar modules.

In addition to supplying glass, Solcarcycle will provide recycling services for Runergy Alabama’s solar products.

“This partnership not only strengthens our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint but also ensures that our products have a more sustainable lifecycle from production through to recycling for the U.S.,” said Jusong Wang, managing director at Runergy Alabama Inc.

With the rapid growth in solar energy in the U.S., there is also growing concern about what will happen to solar panels at the end of their useful life. Without an increase in solar recycling, the U.S. will contribute 10 million metric tons of trash in landfills and other waste facilities by 2050, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). To put into context, the U.S. dumps almost 140 million tons of waste each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Solarcycle said its patented recovery process retains 95% of the value of materials in the panel, as opposed to conventional methods, which extract about 50% of the material value. The company recycles aluminum, silver, copper, silicon, and low-iron glass and will send these materials back to the domestic manufacturing value chain, thereby supporting a circular economy.

“Our mission is to build increased sustainability and scalability for the solar supply chain, and this partnership with Runergy helps us accelerate that mission,” said Suvi Sharma, CEO and co-founder of Solarcycle. “We look forward to working with the Runergy team to help grow solar in America, create good, family-sustaining local jobs, and reduce carbon emissions across the supply chain.”

Runergy, a Tier 1 supplier as defined by Bloomberg NEF, recently released two new lines of solar modules for the U.S. market. Products include DH108N8B, an all-black N-Type bifacial solar panel with a smaller format for rooftop solar.

Runergy was also recently in the news when it asked U.S. patent authorities to revoke two patents held by Trina Solar. Runergy claims that two patents are not patentable, as they are not the result of Trina Solar’s own work.

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