TerrePower, the solar panel and EV battery lifecycle management division of BBB Industries, announced that solar remanufacturing at its Sparta, Tennessee, facility is fully operational.
The plant is dedicated to extending the life and improving the performance of solar panels through sustainable manufacturing for reuse, significantly reducing costs and emissions, the company says.
The facility, with 20,000 square feet devoted to solar panel sustainable manufacturing, has an annual capacity of over 125,000 panels.
TerrePower says it is the only company of its kind to sustainably manufacture both EV batteries and solar power systems, including panels and inverters. Though EVs are still in the early stages of mass adoption, the company adds it is ramping up its EV operations across four U.S. plants (PA, FL, AZ and TN). TerrePower is also moving full speed ahead with solar panel refurbishment, which it says no company has yet scaled.
“The holy grail of responsible resource management has always prioritized reuse over recycling,” says Duncan Gillis, CEO of BBB Industries. “We are selling every solar panel we can remanufacture and expect to triple the size of our solar panel remanufacturing business in the next two years.”
TerrePower remanufactures used solar panels to enable second-life usage, selling them as a more affordable solution, typically for commercial or residential installation or replacement use. The company recycles materials from panels and EV batteries it cannot remanufacture and enables the reuse of raw materials to avoid landfill disposal. Remanufacturing used panels can cut carbon emissions by about 35% over original production, the company says.
“We apply over 30 years of remanufacturing experience to our solar panels, which can provide a high-quality alternative source to new,” says John Boyer, TerrePower president. “In many cases, we can use newer, superior components.”
TerrePower’s says its battery remanufacturing process includes identifying weak battery pack components and replacing them with tested components to improve performance for vehicle reuse. Underperforming battery modules that can no longer be used for mobility are repurposed into stationary energy storage units for a second life.
