A new approach to solar panel recycling with Sunset Renewables

Developing mobile recycling technology to recover high-value materials from end-of-life solar panels and support a more circular Canadian solar industry

Colleen McCann, SMART Centre

About Sunset Renewables

Sunset Renewables, an Indigenous-owned company based in Hamilton, Ontario, partnered with Conestoga’s SMART Centre to advance purpose-built technology for recycling waste solar panels. Building on an earlier collaboration, the project focused on preparing the company’s recycling equipment for commercial operation while improving material recovery, efficiency, and scalability.

The challenge

As solar infrastructure expands, Canada faces a growing need for solutions to manage end-of-life panels and recover valuable materials. Sunset Renewables sought to refine its recycling technology to increase throughput, address mechanical challenges, and transform waste components into materials that could re-enter local supply chains.

Approach

• Refined the Aluminum Extraction Unit 2.0 to improve cycle time, throughput, and operational efficiency
• Addressed mechanical issues affecting aluminum frame removal and equipment reliability
• Refined the planer unit to improve material feeding, removal, and panel processing
• Developed process flows for recovering consistent, high-quality material streams
• Used testing results and lessons learned to inform the design of the Aluminum Extraction Unit 3.0

Results

• Prepared the Aluminum Extraction Unit 2.0 for single-shift commercial operations
• Established a consistent stream of recovered aluminum suitable for local scrap metal facilities
• Refined the planer unit to produce clean glass, virgin white plastic, and silicon-precious metal material streams
• Established a commercial arrangement with Opta Glass to use recovered glass and provide a centralized location for the mobile recycling technology
• Developed the Aluminum Extraction Unit 3.0 design with higher throughput and lower anticipated build costs
• Supported the creation of two engineering graduate positions, with potential for six additional positions as operations expand

Why it matters

• Diverts end-of-life solar panels from waste streams and recovers valuable materials
• Supports a circular economy for Canada’s growing solar energy sector
• Reduces transportation requirements by enabling mobile processing closer to where materials are generated and reused
• Creates commercial opportunities for recovered aluminum, glass, plastic, silicon, and precious metals
• Establishes a foundation for further research toward a 99 per cent material recapture rate

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Funding for this project was provided by the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI).