We Recycle Solar plans a large-scale facility near Dallas to recover valuable materials from retired solar panels and create a more circular solar supply chain
Dallas, Texas, 30 September 2026 – Solar energy has grown rapidly, bringing more clean power to homes, businesses, and large-scale facilities. But as older photovoltaic panels reach the end of their useful lives, the industry faces another challenge: how to manage the growing amount of solar equipment that can no longer be used. We Recycle Solar, or WRS, is looking to turn that challenge into an opportunity with a new solar panel recovery facility planned in Texas.
The Arizona-based company has announced plans to develop what it describes as the first fully integrated critical materials recovery facility in the United States dedicated to retired solar panels. The commercial-scale plant is planned for a 10-acre site outside Dallas, with operations expected to begin in the third quarter of 2027.
The facility is expected to recover as much as 96 percent of the silver, copper, silicon, aluminum, and glass found in end-of-life solar panels. Instead of sending partially processed materials to facilities overseas, WRS plans to complete the recovery process within the United States and produce materials that can be sold directly for further use.
The company says its proprietary process will be capable of handling one solar panel every minute. The approach is designed to recover several valuable materials within one integrated process while reducing the need for additional processing after the panels leave the facility. This could give retired photovoltaic modules a greater role in the domestic materials supply chain.
A solar panel contains much more than the glass that is visible from the outside. Aluminum, copper, silicon, and small quantities of silver are also used in photovoltaic modules. Recovering these materials can reduce waste while creating another source of resources for manufacturing. The growing solar recycling market is increasingly focused on recovering higher-value materials rather than simply processing panels as general waste.
WRS plans to expand beyond the Texas project. The company has indicated that it expects to invest approximately $100 million over four years to establish four additional facilities across the United States. A wider network could help reduce transportation distances and create more regional capacity for handling retired solar equipment.
The need for such infrastructure is expected to increase as more solar installations reach the end of their operating lives. Industry analysis points to a growing stream of retired photovoltaic panels as early solar projects are replaced, upgraded, or decommissioned. Recycling companies are therefore exploring technologies that can recover more materials while improving the economics of end-of-life solar management.
For the solar industry, recycling can also support the idea of a circular economy. Instead of viewing an old panel simply as waste, its components can be treated as resources that may return to industrial use. This approach can reduce pressure on raw material supplies and create additional value from equipment that has completed its original purpose.
The Texas project represents a broader shift in how the renewable energy industry is thinking about the complete life cycle of solar technology. Manufacturing and installation may mark the beginning of a panel’s journey, but responsible recovery can determine what happens after its energy-producing years are over.
If WRS achieves its planned scale, the facility could become an important part of the emerging solar recycling industry. More importantly, it could demonstrate how retired solar panels can move from being an end-of-life problem to becoming a new source of valuable materials.
