Solar's commercial story began in New Jersey more than 70 years ago. Today, Commercial Solar Panel Recycling is helping write its next chapter.
PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. - September 2026 - Commercial Solar Panel Recycling (CSPR), a leader in solar panel recycling and end-of-life solar asset management, is featured on the cover of the September 2026 issue of COMMERCE Magazine. The story explores the growing importance of solar recycling as a strategic response to landfill management challenges and critical mineral recovery, highlighting New Jersey's landmark recycling legislation and CSPR's leadership in building the infrastructure, industry partnerships, and operational frameworks needed to advance a circular economy for solar energy.
The recognition brings New Jersey's unique solar history full circle. Bell Labs developed the first commercially available solar cell in 1954, launching a global industry that has transformed energy production. More than seven decades later, millions of solar panels are installed across the state and hundreds of millions more nationwide. New Jersey is addressing the final phase of the solar lifecycle: what happens when those panels reach planned or early end of life.
For CSPR, that future is already underway.
Based in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, the company began its recycling operation in 2025 with a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) research, development and demonstration (RD&D) permit and has since expanded its capabilities into California, the Midwest, Texas, and New York. Within its first year of operation, the company experienced an 835% increase in demand for its recycling services, demonstrating a growing market need for scalable PV recycling solutions.
"For years, end-of-life solar was treated as tomorrow's problem. Tomorrow is here," said Glenn Laga, co-founder of CSPR. "With landfill constraints and critical mineral recovery becoming national priorities, solar panel recycling is becoming an essential part of responsible solar asset management. New Jersey’s leadership through S3399 provides a model for the nation. In short, the PV recycling era is here."
As the COMMERCE cover story, "New Jersey's Solar Recycling Pioneers," details, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to enact a mandatory solar panel recycling law on January 12, 2026, establishing a framework that benefits residents, communities, and the environment through responsible end-of-life management. As the need for solar panel recycling grows across the nation, Commercial Solar Panel Recycling remains committed to building the infrastructure that will support the next chapter of solar energy, ensuring panels are responsibly managed and recycled rather than landfilled when they reach end of life.
Learn more at https://commercialsolarpanelrecycling.com
Read the COMMERCE Magazine article.