As the U.S. power grid increasingly relies on wind and solar energy, the growing amount of waste these clean energy technologies produce will soon need to be dealt with. A number of innovative startups are working to create a sustainable circular economy to recycle and reuse the core components of climate tech innovation. Solarcycle, a company based in Oakland, California, is one such player, focusing on recovering metals and glass from retired solar panels and reintroducing them into the supply chain. Meanwhile, First Solar, a U.S. solar panel manufacturer, has maintained an in-house recycling program since 2005 and is currently receiving federal research funding to develop a new residential rooftop panel that is more efficient than current silicon or thin-film modules.

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