Sakuragi Soken Co., Ltd. (Sakuragi Soken) has submitted an application to the Chiba Prefectural Government for approval to establish an industrial waste processing plant dedicated to solar panels.
While awaiting approval, the company plans to construct additional buildings on adjacent land to meet the growing demand for solar panel disposal. In the future, the facility aims to expand its capacity to process more than 300,000 panels annually.
In July 2023, Sakuragi Soken launched a specialized solar panel reuse and recycling business and established its solar panel recycling plant (日本ソーラーパネルリサイクルセンター千葉県リユース工場) in Yachimata City, Chiba Prefecture. The company offers comprehensive support across all eight key stages of the solar power industry: sales, design, construction, maintenance, removal, reuse, recycling, and repowering.
According to Sakuragi Soken, the company achieves a recycling rate of approximately 99% by separating solar panels into valuable materials, such as aluminum frames, glass cullets, junction boxes, and solar cells. In addition, the company actively purchases used panels and resells them to businesses, individuals, and emerging markets. Each purchased panel undergoes rigorous inspection by in-house appraisers, and only those meeting the company’s quality standards are made available for resale.
Leveraging its location in Chiba Prefecture, the facility is well-placed to accept waste panels from across the entire Kanto region. The widespread adoption of one-stop solar panel services, such as those provided by this company, could help meet the reuse and recycling needs nationwide.
