Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp has announced that SOLARCYCLE, an advanced technology-based solar recycling company, will accelerate its expansion into Polk County to meet increasing demand for solar panel recycling services. The company is investing an additional $62 million to increase its panel recycling capacity to 10 million solar panels per year and create 640 new full-time jobs.
The facility is located directly across the street from the company’s previously announced 1.1-million-square-foot solar glass factory that will employ an additional 617 people. The factory will use recycled materials from retired solar panels from the recycling facility to make five to six gigawatts worth of solar glass every year. The factory positions the company as one of the first manufacturers of specialized glass for crystalline-silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics in the U.S.
Georgia has become a hotbed in clean energy. Solar and battery-related companies have announced more than $16.5 billion in investments in Georgia since 2018, with announcements and expansions from South Korea-based SK Battery America and Hanwha Qcells. Most recently, Aurubis AG held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its recycling facility in Augusta, Georgia, a $800 million investment.
Plug Power, a global provider of hydrogen solutions, also operates a green hydrogen fuel production plant in the state. In March 2023, Ascend Elements opened their battery-recycling facility with an annual capacity to process 30,000 metric tons of used lithium-ion batteries and manufacture scrap – equal to 70,000 electric vehicle batteries per year.
SOLARCYCLE has acquired an existing building at 270 North Park Boulevard in Cedartown, adjacent to the new facility under construction at Cedartown North Business Park, a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certified site. The existing 255,000-square-foot building will be renovated to house the company’s solar panel recycling operations.