Qcells and Solarcycle Launch $2.5 Billion Solar Module Expansion in Georgia, Focusing on Sustainable Production and Recycling.

Qcells is partnering with Solarcycle to establish a US$2.5 billion, 8.4GW solar module production expansion in Georgia, and will produce solar ingots, wafers and cells in the state. The company’s operations constitute the “largest silicon-based solar panel factory in the US”, surpassing only First Solar’s production of Cadmium Telluride thin-film modules. Solarcycle’s business model is based on ‘high-value’ recycling, extracting 95% of the value from a decommissioned or broken solar module. The partnership with Qcells aims to ensure solar energy is manufactured and recycled using American labour and sustainability practices. Rystad Energy has estimated material from panels reaching their end-of-life was worth around US$170 million, rising to US $2.7 billion by 2030 and around $80 billion by 2050.