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Solarcycle develops advanced recycling technologies and services for solar panels, focusing on recovering valuable materials. The company's proprietary process efficiently extracts key elements like silicon, silver, and copper, achieving high material recovery rates. This approach provides a sustainable and cost-effective solution for end-of-life solar modules, minimizing environmental impact.
The company was co-founded by Suvi Sharma, Dr. Pablo Ribeiro Dias, and Jesse Simons, officially launching in May 2022. The founders recognized the burgeoning challenge of solar panel waste as the industry matured, leading to the insight that a scalable, high-yield recycling solution was critical. Sharma brings extensive experience from co-founding other solar ventures, while Dr. Dias contributes deep research expertise in PV module and e-waste recycling.
Solarcycle serves partners across the solar energy sector, offering comprehensive solutions for managing retired photovoltaic systems. The company's long-term vision is to establish a circular economy for solar technology, transforming waste panels into critical resources for new manufacturing. This forward-looking strategy positions Solarcycle as an essential player in the sustainable growth of the global solar industry.
Solarcycle has raised $43.6M across 3 funding rounds.
Solarcycle has raised $43.6M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Solarcycle has raised $43.6M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $30.0M Series A in March 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2023 | $30M Series A | HG Ventures, KIP Frey | Closed Loop Partners, Fifth Wall, Foundry Group, Headwater Ventures, Kaya Ventures, Nilla Capital, SVG Ventures THRIVE, The Yield LAB Latam, Urban Innovation Fund, Lyndon Rive, Peter Rive, Prologis Ventures | Announced |
| Jun 2, 2022 | $6.6M Venture Round | — | Lyndon Rive, Peter Rive, TOM Dinwoodie, Closed Loop Partners, Urban Innovation Fund | Announced |
| May 1, 2022 | $7M Seed | — | Closed Loop Partners, Fifth Wall, Foundry Group, Headwater Ventures, HG Ventures, SVG Ventures THRIVE, The Yield LAB Latam, Urban Innovation Fund, Lyndon Rive, Peter Rive | Announced |
Solarcycle has raised $43.6M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Solarcycle's investors include HG Ventures, Kip Frey, Closed Loop Partners, Fifth Wall, Foundry Group, Headwater Ventures, Kaya Ventures, Nilla Capital, SVG Ventures-THRIVE, The Yield Lab LATAM, Urban Innovation Fund, Lyndon Rive.
SOLARCYCLE is an advanced technology company specializing in solar panel recycling, recovering over 95% of valuable materials like aluminum, silver, silicon, and glass to support a circular economy in the U.S. solar industry.[1][2][3] Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, it serves the world's largest solar asset owners, developers, power producers, and manufacturers—over 80 partners—by providing low-cost, eco-friendly recycling for end-of-life panels, damaged modules, and related components like inverters and cables, diverting waste from landfills and reducing carbon emissions.[1][4][5][7] In 2024, SOLARCYCLE recycled nearly 500,000 panels, saving 13.8 million pounds of materials, and targets 1 million by end-2025 with doubled capacity at its Odessa, Texas facility and a new Circular Solar Campus in Georgia for recycling 10 million panels annually plus manufacturing 5-6 GW of recycled solar glass.[2][3][4]
The company has raised $69.73M in Series B funding, including recent investments from Microsoft, fueling rapid expansion amid rising solar decommissioning.[3][5]
SOLARCYCLE was founded in 2022 by solar, recycling, and sustainability experts Suvi Sharma (CEO), Jesse Simons, and Pablo Ribeiro Dias, who identified the growing challenge of end-of-life solar panels lacking scalable, cost-effective recycling solutions.[1][4][5] Emerging from the solar industry's need for circularity—especially as panels reach 25-30 year lifespans—the trio developed patented technology to recover 95%+ of materials, starting with an R&D plant and quickly scaling to commercial operations.[1][2][7] Early traction came from partnerships with major energy firms, hitting 480,000+ panels recycled in 2024, pivotal facility expansions in Texas, and groundbreaking on the U.S.'s first recycled solar glass factory in Georgia with offtake deals from Heliene and Runergy.[2][3]
SOLARCYCLE rides the solar circular economy wave, addressing the U.S. solar boom—millions of panels decommissioning from 2025 as utilities repower with efficient tech, amid IRA-driven domestic manufacturing mandates.[2][3] Timing aligns with market forces: explosive PV growth (terawatts deployed), material shortages (silver/silicon), landfill bans, and ESG pressures on asset owners.[2][4] By closing the loop—recycling to new panels/glass—it bolsters U.S. supply chain resiliency, cuts virgin material imports (e.g., from China), and enables "cleaner" clean energy, influencing ecosystem via partnerships, investor pulls like Microsoft, and standards for traceability/certification.[2][3][7]
SOLARCYCLE is primed to dominate U.S. solar recycling, targeting 2M panels in 2026 via expanded Texas ops and Georgia campus launch, with glass production ramping alongside new funding/partnerships.[2][3] Trends like federal incentives for circularity, AI-optimized energy repowering, and global material scarcity will accelerate demand; competition exists (e.g., Reverse Energy Solutions) but SOLARCYCLE leads in scale/tech/recovery.[5] Its influence could evolve into full remanufacturing hub, setting benchmarks for cleantech sustainability—turning solar waste into tomorrow's fuel for the renewable surge, as it scales from recycler to supply chain cornerstone.[2][3][4]
