This spring, Southern Power engaged Solarcycle for the recycling of more than 800 modules at three of its solar facilities, with plans for more by the end of the year.
Posted by Chris Voloschuk, Associate Editor
In the spring of 2025, Birmingham, Alabama-based energy provider Southern Power partnered with solar panel recycler Solarcycle Inc. to process damaged modules at three of Southern Power’s solar sites.
As of this April, Southern Power has engaged Solarcycle for the recycling of more than 800 modules, with plans to recycle an additional 2,000 to 3,000 damaged modules by year’s end.
As solar generation continues to grow, Southern Power says the need to responsibly manage equipment at the end of its life cycle does, too. The company notes that while solar panels are built for durability, they occasionally can experience damage from extreme weather events like hailstorms or degradation caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight, weather and temperature fluctuations.
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Mesa, Arizona-based Solarcycle provides a solution designed to recover the materials found in panels and make them available for reuse. The company’s process ensures that the solar panel is recycled and the materials are returned to the supply chain.
Southern Power says decommissioned panels are collected, inspected and dismantled to remove aluminum frames and junction boxes. Glass is cleanly separated, while remaining metals are crushed, separated and refined.
The company says the process recovers valuable materials such as glass, aluminum, copper, silver and silicon so they can be returned to the solar supply chain and reintegrated into domestic manufacturing, including recycled solar glass production.
“Southern Company is known for its industry-leading commitment to research, innovation and sustainability,” says Ketih Harrison, general manager of environmental affairs for Southern Power and PowerSecure. “Our relationship with Solarcycle fits squarely within that commitment. Through this partnership, we are not only able to provide a more cost-effective way to manage our materials at end-of-life, but we’re doing so in a manner that conserves resources and aligns with our environmental principles.”
Solarcycle says it plans to build a solar glass manufacturing plant next door to its recycling facility near Cedartown, Georgia, creating an integrated campus designed to recover and remanufacture materials from end-of-life panels.
“Solar panels contain valuable materials that are necessary for building the next generation of energy,” Solarcycle co-founder and CEO Suvi Sharma says. “What we strive to do is support a circular economy for these materials and components and return them to our supply chains. When companies like Southern Power recycle solar systems, this can support more sustainable operations with reduced environmental impact. We hope other power providers will follow Southern Power’s lead and do the same.”

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