The 2026-2027 Revolt Energy Solutions Lab team is:
Revolt Energy (Team EAN)
Elroe Midekssa (Mechanical Engineering), and Eyal Yager (Chemical Engineering)
Faculty Sponsor: Gary Koenig
Revolt Energy Solutions Lab Challenge
Close the Loop: From recycled solar panels to rechargeable batteries
Current recycling methodologies for the “black mass” from Lithium-Ion or Lead-Acid batteries rely on industrial processes such as chemical, hydro, and pyrometallurgical methods, which require significant energy or generate chemical byproducts. Revolt Energy has developed state-of-the-art technology to recycle solar panels at scale using photonics and robotics and would like to explore ways to apply similar processes to launch an industrial-scale battery recycling program. We believe that robotic and AI-enabled lasers can be used to cut through battery cases with precision, extracting lithium, cobalt, and other trace minerals from modern batteries.
ReVolt will recover a significant amount of pure Silicon (Si-28), which can be converted into Silicon Carbide, which can in turn be used to produce Silicon Carbide-based anodes for new batteries (Tesla and others are already using Silicon Carbide to power their cars).
The business challenge should focus on three problems:
- Can the Silicon from the recycled solar panels be reused as an anode for Li-ion batteries
- Can we use laser technology to enable industrial-scale battery refurbishment with Silicon-based anodes from solar recycling activities?
- Is it commercially viable if it is feasible in the laboratory?
Learn More about Revolt Energy at https://revolt-energy.co/