Battery tech company NEO Battery has signed a letter of intent with Australian-based Lotus Energy Recycling to form a joint venture.
Under the venture, the two will collaborate on recycling end-of-life photovoltaic cells and solar panels. The main objective of the project is to recover high-purity silicone and other valuable materials that can be used to create more batteries and cells for a circular supply chain.
The announcement is an expansion on the two’s existing agreement to develop silicon anode products manufactured from recycled solar PV cells. This joint venture will have a facility in Canada to collect, dismantle, and recycle the cells and solar panels.
NEO’s main benefit from the collaboration is the recovered materials that can be re-used, while Lotus will be able to improve their proprietary recycling process, with more joint research and development activities planned to refine processes and technology on both ends, according to the company.
The partnership highlights the recent boost solar energy has received. Enphase Energy, the main supplier for microinverter-based solar and battery systems, shipped 1.7 million microinverters globally in the third quarter, the highest in nearly a year.
Google is also leaning into solar power; the tech giant said it would invest $1 billion into Texas in 2024 for its cloud computing and data centers. Part of that money went into backing SB Energy’s Orion Solar Belt, three side-by-side solar farms in Buckholts, Texas, roughly two hours south of Dallas.
The project is considered the largest investments in solar energy in U.S. history. The facility, which opened on Friday, October 18, will provide 875 megawatts of clean energy every year.
While 85% of the electricity from the project will go towards Google’s data centers in Ellis County and Dallas cloud computing centers, the remaining 15% will go to the state’s power grid, benefiting Texas citizens. Thousands of sheep will also graze the area, maintaining the vegetation surrounding the farm.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, called the project a poster child for federal efforts to incentivize energy projects located in the U.S.
“Sometimes when you are in the middle of history, it’s hard to tell, because you are in the middle of it,” she said as quoted by AP. “But I'm telling you right now that we are in the middle of history being made.”
Solar Panel Recycling is one of Many Paths to NetZero
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