Solar PV Recycling: Issues and Considerations for State Decision-Makers

What happens to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels when they come to the end of their useful lifetime? As the solar PV industry evolves and deployment levels grow, policymakers are beginning to consider how to deal with future PV panel waste.

This webinar provided an overview of what we can expect for future volumes of PV waste in the U.S., what technology solutions there are to turn waste modules into valuable recovered materials (and prevent toxic ones from harming our environment), and the status of the PV recycling industry and policy support structures in the US. Challenges and solutions to achieving a circular economy from waste PV modules were proposed and discussed.

Garvin Heath, a senior analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), shared lessons learned and key insights from his research to inform state-level efforts to develop effective, efficient, and affordable PV module recycling and recovery strategies.

This webinar was presented through NREL’s Solar Technical Assistance Team (STAT) Network, a project of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. The STAT Network is a partnership between NREL, the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO).

Presenter:

• Garvin Heath, PhD
• Senior Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory