EP 17 — SOLARCYCLE’s Jesse Simons on the Economic Case for Solar Recycling vs. Landfilling

The solar industry stands at a critical inflection point as millions of panels from the early installation boom approach end-of-life. Jesse Simons, Co-founder & CCO of SOLARCYCLE, explains why recycling rather than landfilling is quickly becoming both the ethical and economical choice. Having already processed over a million panels and with plans to scale to 10 million annually, SOLARCYCLE is pioneering closed-loop manufacturing that recovers 95% of materials from used panels and transforms them into new solar components.

 

Jesse shares with Sean how commercial real estate owners are at the forefront of the repowering movement, discovering that upgrading 10- to 15-year-old systems can double power density from the same rooftop footprint. With major investors like Microsoft, Fifth Wall, and Prologis backing their vision, SOLARCYCLE is demonstrating that the circular economy isn't just environmentally responsible — it's becoming financially compelling as landfilling costs rise and recycling technology improves. 

 

Topics discussed:

 

• How commercial real estate is leading solar repowering, with companies like Target and IKEA already replacing 12- to 15-year-old systems not because they've failed, but because technology improvements enable twice the power density from the same footprint.
• The economics of solar recycling versus landfilling, with hazardous waste landfilling costs reaching $18-20 per panel while recycling costs continue to decrease through technological innovation and scale.
• SOLARCYCLE's differentiated recycling process that requires three distinct technological approaches for monofacial, bifacial, and thin-film panels, enabling 95% material recovery.
• The transition from selling recovered raw materials back to creating closed-loop manufacturing, with plans to convert recycled solar glass into new glass sheets for domestic panel production.
• Strategic "pre-cycling" approaches where developers incorporate end-of-life recycling costs into initial PPA pricing, addressing the unrealistic assumptions in many early decommissioning plans.
• How corporate sustainability requirements are evolving, with Microsoft and other large buyers now requiring developers to demonstrate circularity plans for all new renewable energy installations.
• Growth projections indicating 40-50 million panels will reach end-of-life annually by 2030 in the U.S. alone, creating both environmental challenges and economic opportunities.
• Partial repowering strategies where commercial building owners retain racking systems while upgrading only panels, maximizing investment returns while maintaining sustainable practices.