As we've discussed here before, the solar industry has a problem that many are only just becoming aware of...end of life.
What do we do with all these solar panels when they are "used up"? What about when they break?
Most solar panels have a life span of 20-30 years, and many of the early projects are starting to reach their end of useful life. In fact, by 2050, The International Renewable Energy Agency projects that up to 78 million metric tons of solar panels will have reached the end of their life, and that the world will be generating about 6 million metric tons of new solar waste annually! (*thanks to today's guest, Janette for these facts!)
Proper disposal of these solar products is something that is often used in opposition to financial support of this and other clean energy products. If we as an industry make claims to be the greener solution, we must be prepared to ensure proper end of life disposal and handling of these products!
What does that look like? Well, according to today's guest, Janette Freeman of Fabtek, it includes building systems for recycling, or
refurbishing; it's not just dumping them into a landfill, but helping to create a circular economy in solar.
Not sure what "Circular economy" means?
Wondering what are the key reasons that lead to addressing this end-of-life discussion?
What are the common concerns folks have, and what prevents us from taking action today?
How much does this actually cost?
I dig into all these questions and more today with Janette, and she graciously provides detailed insights all the way down to how much to budget in your disposal and refurbishing budget! I've never had anyone go into such detail, and I love how she ties it back to economic principles like Circular Economy for us.
What can we do now that we have this information?
Janette suggests, companies can start considering end-of-life in their financial plans. Governments can pass legislation giving incentives to recycle, landfill restrictions, or supportive legislation to encourage recycling. Researchers can continue pushing to optimize recycling and creating more efficient panels for the future. And people who are considering switching to solar can even look into using refurbished panels instead of new ones for their project!
We all have a responsibility not only to reduce our total consumption, but to make wise choices personally and professionally about the products we use, and how we dispose of those that we no longer have use for. As they say, one man's junk is quite literally a recycler (or refurbisher)'s treasure!
Resources:
Connect with Jannette on LinkedIn
Follow Fabtek Enterprise on LinkedIn and check out their website.
You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email