Recycling renewables

Batteries

Battery recycling still isn’t easy. Just ask Ascend Elements.

The startup’s recent bankruptcy filing speaks to the larger headwinds facing American battery recyclers as automakers scale back EV plans.

By Julian Spector, Kathryn Krawczyk . 17 April 2026

Jumble of mostly silver busted and broken battery parts — Corroded and damaged EV batteries at the Ascend Elements recycling plant in Covington, Georgia. The company filed for bankruptcy last week. (Alyssa Pointer for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Recycling renewables

Li-Cycle’s quest to recycle lithium-ion batteries ends in bankruptcy

The startup halted construction of a major plant in New York and never recovered. Its collapse is one of many setbacks plaguing the nascent battery recycling sector.

By Julian Spector . 28 May 2025
Solar

Solar recycling startup looks to build $90M facility in Florida

OnePlanet uses a novel process to salvage copper, silicon, and aluminum from broken solar panels. It aims to bring its first full-scale plant online in 2027.

By Alexander C. Kaufman . 22 April 2025
Recycling renewables

Fire, delays, and financial woes: Battery recycling had a rough 2024

Recycling startups like Ascend Elements and Redwood Materials still notched some wins in the mission to turn old electric vehicle batteries into new ones.

By Julian Spector . 10 December 2024
Batteries

Moment Energy plans to mass-produce grid storage from used EV batteries

The Canadian startup repackages electric-vehicle batteries for commercial customers. Now it’s got $20 million from the DOE to build its first gigafactory in Texas.

By Julian Spector . 5 November 2024
Recycling renewables

All that e-waste is full of metals that could be recycled for clean tech

The copper, aluminum, and minerals in our old electronics could be reused in service of the clean energy transition, according to UN report.

By Maddie Stone . 19 April 2024
Recycling renewables

A new Energy Department program aims to recycle wind turbine magnets

Wind turbines often contain huge magnets made with valuable elements like neodymium. Scientists are exploring how to get a second life out of them.

By Maddie Stone . 5 March 2024
Batteries

EV battery repair is dangerous — but some mechanics want to do it anyway

Fixing the batteries of e-bikes and electric vehicles saves money and resources — but challenges are holding back the industry.

By Maddie Stone . 12 December 2023
Video

Canary on TV: Confronting the downsides of mining for battery materials

Julian Spector appeared on the Weather Channel to parse the environmental and climate impacts of battery supply chains and how the clean energy industry is working to mitigate them.

By Julian Spector . 6 November 2023
Recycling renewables

Redwood Materials lands $1B to boost its battery recycling efforts

The startup founded by Tesla alum JB Straubel wants to spend $7 billion on recycling to supply a U.S. battery industry now dependent on China.

By Jeff St. John . 30 August 2023
Electric vehicles

E-bike manufacturers are fighting right-to-repair. That's a problem

As e-bikes proliferate, companies are embracing battery recycling — but opposing laws that would let consumers repair the bikes themselves.

By Maddie Stone . 14 August 2023