Everything Solar Forum

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

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Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
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I'll point to the article by Otto Gunderson in the most recent Solar Today.

Otto Gunderson, PV RECYCLING: Fulfilling Solar's Green Promise, in SOLAR TODAY. 2020, Amercican Solar Energy Society: Boulder. p. 13-16.

Much of the article explains what the EU is doing, which is pretty much a model for what the US probably needs to do.

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Robert McGrath
Software Engineer (retired)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
robert.mcgrath216@gmail.com
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:52 AM
From: Nathan Vandiver
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

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Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
------------------------------

A great read Robert thank you!

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Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 23, 2021 10:48 AM
From: Robert McGrath
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

I'll point to the article by Otto Gunderson in the most recent Solar Today.

Otto Gunderson, PV RECYCLING: Fulfilling Solar's Green Promise, in SOLAR TODAY. 2020, Amercican Solar Energy Society: Boulder. p. 13-16.

Much of the article explains what the EU is doing, which is pretty much a model for what the US probably needs to do.

------------------------------
Robert McGrath
Software Engineer (retired)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
robert.mcgrath216@gmail.com

Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:52 AM
From: Nathan Vandiver
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

------------------------------
Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
------------------------------

Along with my students, I have been investigating this issue for several years. We need three sets of solutions, technical, logistical, and regulation-based. While my work was mainly on the technical front, my students quickly found such a solution is not enough. We need solutions to get the older/faulty solar array to the recyclers and to overcome some antiquated regulations. We are in the process of publishing possible solutions to address these issues so we are ready for the pending Tsunami of solar modules to be recycled.

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Ajith Weerasinghe
Associate Professor
California State University Fresno
Fresno CA
ajithw@csufresno.edu
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:52 AM
From: Nathan Vandiver
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

------------------------------
Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
------------------------------

Hi Ajith, 

Please see this report on health and human impact of solar (includes recycling) that we created when I worked at the NC Solar Center. I think you students will find it helpful for their research. 

https://nccleantech.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Health-and-Safety-Impacts-of-Solar-Photovoltaics-PV.pdf

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Achyut Shrestha
achyut.achyut@gmail.com
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 24, 2021 09:50 AM
From: Ajith Weerasinghe
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

Along with my students, I have been investigating this issue for several years. We need three sets of solutions, technical, logistical, and regulation-based. While my work was mainly on the technical front, my students quickly found such a solution is not enough. We need solutions to get the older/faulty solar array to the recyclers and to overcome some antiquated regulations. We are in the process of publishing possible solutions to address these issues so we are ready for the pending Tsunami of solar modules to be recycled.

------------------------------
Ajith Weerasinghe
Associate Professor
California State University Fresno
Fresno CA
ajithw@csufresno.edu

Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:52 AM
From: Nathan Vandiver
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

------------------------------
Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
------------------------------

Here's a company working on it (We Recycle Solar) - http://werecyclesolar.com/

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Evan Halstead
evanhalstead@yahoo.com
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:52 AM
From: Nathan Vandiver
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

------------------------------
Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
------------------------------

Tracking down this link, I find that it has been 'archived'.

"The paper was originally posted on January 6, 2021; however, it did not follow the appropriate review process before posting and it contained misleading and incorrect information, so the document was removed from the EPA website."

I have no idea what the paper said, or what was problematic. From other actions of the EPA around that time, we can guess.

Regardless of the EPA report, this post is an accurate statement of the basic challenge.

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Robert McGrath
Software Engineer (retired)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
robert.mcgrath216@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:52 AM
From: Nathan Vandiver
Subject: The Future Problem of Solar Waste and How to Combat It

The EPA released a briefing (EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management | US EPA) where it predicts the US will have roughly 10 million tons of solar waste by the year 2050, with China doubling that number by the same year. Solar arrays have about a 30-year life cycle, but countries across the world are quickly adopting solar energy in droves. How to properly dispose of these arrays is a question that the solar community needs to start addressing sooner rather than later. How might we go about it?

------------------------------
Nathan Vandiver
nava8795@colorado.edu
------------------------------