5N Plus diversifies into solar module recycling

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The cadmium telluride refiner and major supplier to First Solar, 5N Plus is diversifying into solar module recycling, according to a Wall Street Journal article. The company is setting up in a rented facility the system required initially to handle coated soda-lime glass and later the ability to recycle fully laminated modules. The new business is not connected to First Solar’s CdTe modules, according to the story, which quoted a First Solar spokesperson.

5N Plus executives had noted in its most recent quarterly conference call that it was looking at further business opportunities and potential acquisitions to grow the company in related fields to its current main refining and recycling businesses.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The company was expecting to extract 7.5 tons of tellurium dioxide from the recycled modules in the first year of the project being started.

Read Next

July 27, 2026
Construction has begun on two new transmission lines as part of Western Australia's Clean Energy Link - North project.
July 27, 2026
Meridian Energy has received consent to build a 110MW solar PV power plant near Morrinsville in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.
July 27, 2026
Trinasolar, a Chinese module manufacturer, has started mass production of a 515W solar module developed exclusively for the Australian residential and commercial rooftop market, with first deliveries expected this month.
July 24, 2026
Solar manufacturing giant Canadian Solar has opened the first phase of a 6GW heterojunction technology (HJT) solar cell facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
July 24, 2026
Croatia's HOPS approves transmission blueprint for Pantheon Atlas' planned 1GW Pantheon AI data centre in Topusko.
Premium
July 24, 2026
PV Tech Premium spoke with Mike Carr, executive director of the SEMA Coalition, about the hollowing out of domestic demand for US solar manufacturing under the Trump administration, the way that US companies are piecing together supply chains and the reasons to still hope for the sector’s future.  

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye