Solar panels are emblematic of an eco-friendly lifestyle, but what happens when they get replaced or reach the end of their useful lives?
Suvi Sharma has a sustainability influenced answer: recycle them.
Solar modules typically contain an assortment of valuable metals, including silver, silicon, copper and aluminum, all of which can be reused. Sharma founded SolarCycle Inc. this year to help panel owners recycle their old modules in an environmentally sound way.
"We are driven by the urgent challenge to maximize the sustainability of the raw minerals needed to power the clean energy revolution," Sharma, SolarCycle's CEO said in a news release.
The Oakland startup has some new cash to scale up its operations in North America. It announced last week it's raised $6.6 million in seed funding from Urban Innovation Fund and others, including Peter and Lyndon Rive, the founders of SolarCity, which is now owned by Tesla Inc.
Check out more details on SolarCycle's funding deal and another seed round from this past week.
SolarCycle Inc., Oakland, $6.6 million: Urban Innovation Fund led the round for this provider of a solar panel recycling service. Closed Loop Partners, SolarCity founders Peter and Lyndon Rive and Sunpower CTO Tom Dinwoodie also invested.
Ogmagod Inc. (dba CloseFactor), Palo Alto, $4.5 million: Sequoia Capital led the round of this provider of a service that helps corporate sales teams identify and target prospective customers.
