Energiefonds Overijssel is investing in Solar2Cycle from Rijssen, together with Oost NL and a private investor. With this financing, the company will realize a new thermo-mechanical recycling line for end-of-life solar panels. This enables Solar2Cycle to recover up to 99% of a solar panel’s weight as reusable raw materials.
The financing is a prime example of how different transitions can reinforce each other. The strong growth of solar energy contributes to the energy transition, but in the long term, it also creates a growing stream of discarded solar panels. Solar2Cycle makes it possible to recover valuable materials such as glass, silver, silicon, copper, and aluminum from them and reintroduce them into the production chain. In this way, residual materials from the energy transition become raw materials for the circular economy, reducing the need for new, primary raw materials.
The expected impact of Solar2Cycle is anticipated to lead to approximately 33,000 tonnes of avoided CO₂ emissions through 2030. Simultaneously, the financing supports the further development of circular innovation and sustainable employment in Overijssel.
Read the full press release below.
Solar2Cycle realizes new recycling line for solar panels thanks to investment.
Zwolle, August 2026 – Solar2Cycle has received an investment from Energiefonds Overijssel, Oost NL, and a private investor. With this financing, the company from Rijssen is realizing a new thermal recycling line for end-of-life solar panels. This allows Solar2Cycle to recover 99% of a solar panel’s weight as reusable raw materials.
The technology makes it possible to recover valuable materials such as glass, silver, silicon, copper, and aluminum and reintroduce them into the production chain. Solar2Cycle thus contributes to the circular economy and reduces dependence on primary raw materials. The company’s activities are expected to lead to the avoidance of approximately 33,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions through 2030.
Solar2Cycle is using the financing to commission a thermo-mechanical recycling line as an addition to the existing installation. This technique loosens the adhesive layers in solar panels, making it easier to separate glass, silicon, and copper from each other.
Gijs ten Brinke, founder and director of Solar2Cycle, is delighted with the financial boost: “The energy transition requires more solar panels as well as a circular solution for panels at the end of their lifespan. With this investment, we can scale up our recycling technology and return valuable raw materials to the chain. This makes solar energy sustainable in use and circular in practice.”
“With Solar2Cycle, we are investing in a company that forms a crucial link in the circular energy transition,” says Radboud Dood, Investment Manager at Energiefonds Overijssel. “In the coming years, the number of discarded solar panels will grow significantly. Solar2Cycle demonstrates that this waste stream does not have to be the end of the chain, but can instead form the source for new raw materials and sustainable economic value.”
Ian de Graaff, Investment Manager Energy at Oost NL: “Gijs has shown that he can take in end-of-life solar panels and return raw materials to the chain in an economically viable way. With this investment, Solar2Cycle can also recover the remaining valuable materials. This represents a concrete step toward a circular energy system.” Oost NL invests from ION+3, a fund financed by the ERDF Program 2021-2027 East Netherlands.
The investment supports the further development of circular innovation and sustainable employment in Overijssel.
More information:
- Want to know more about Energiefonds Overijssel? View the fund page.
- More information about Solar2Cycle
