Palletized photo voltaic modules await recycling in a SolarCycle warehouse.
At the moment, SEIA has unveiled a brand new roadmap to implement a round economic system strategy all through the U.S. photo voltaic and storage business. As photo voltaic and storage account for a majority of the brand new energy on America’s electrical grid, this plan lays out a strategic imaginative and prescient to arrange the business for the problem of responsibly managing the rising quantity of apparatus reaching the top of its service life.
The round economic system is a mannequin of useful resource manufacturing that decouples financial development from useful resource consumption. Embracing the round economic system positions the photo voltaic and storage business for long-term, sustainable development by decreasing reliance on new uncooked supplies, mitigating dangers posed by a linear economic system, and reducing prices via useful resource effectivity. By extending the lifetime of merchandise and recovering beneficial supplies, the business can scale extra affordably, strengthen native economies, and improve U.S. power safety.
Titled “A Vision for Implementing the Circular Economy in the Solar and Storage Industry,” the roadmap particulars how the business will cut back waste, strengthen provide chains and prolong the life of fresh power merchandise — all whereas driving job creation and financial development.
“Because the business continues to increase, it’s necessary that we implement methods that reach the lifetime of our merchandise whereas decreasing waste to unlock financial alternatives and a more healthy setting. That’s what the round economic system is all about,” mentioned Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA president and CEO. “This roadmap outlines the on a regular basis options for turning our imaginative and prescient into actuality — by offering a concrete motion plan to develop nationwide requirements, create demand for recovered and recycled supplies and cut back waste in landfills.”
This primary-of-its-kind roadmap consists of an motion plan for the photo voltaic and storage business — in partnership with stakeholders, in addition to federal, state and native governments — to:
- Develop nationwide requirements for recycling, decommissioning, and reuse of photo voltaic and storage tools
- Present help and technical help to producers to be able to create demand for recovered uncooked supplies
- Assist present and new analysis & improvement workstreams to supply options to obstacles to implementing a round economic system
- Develop contract language to fulfill monetary assurance necessities for venture decommissioning
- Develop zero waste-to-landfill finest practices
- Develop mannequin siting and dealing with pointers for PV recycling services
- Craft a framework for a nationwide community of photo voltaic and storage tools assortment websites that improve logistical efficiencies
- Convene a first-of-its-kind sustainability convention for our business within the U.S.
- Advocate for laws and regulatory necessities on the native/state/federal ranges to make useful resource restoration simpler and cheaper than land disposal.
- Assess and develop suggestions for additional requirements that help profitable allowing of initiatives
The roadmap additionally features a timeline for execution of the motion plan, with key requirements anticipated to be in place by 2026. SEIA will work carefully with corporations within the photo voltaic and storage business, authorities businesses, the strong waste business, academia, nongovernmental organizations and all individuals within the worth chain to convey this imaginative and prescient to life.
Because the photo voltaic and storage business continues to develop, SEIA’s Round Economic system Roadmap offers a imaginative and prescient for the way forward for the business that mitigates uncertainty out there, bolsters home manufacturing and provide chains and promotes financial development via circularity.
View the full Circular Economy Roadmap here.
Information merchandise from SEIA
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