SolarPanelRecycling.com has been approved by Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) as a recycling vendor for its National PV Recycling Program.
The National PV Recycling Program, founded in 2016, is a network of recycling and refurbishment providers approved by SEIA after undergoing an audit process that assesses procedures and technologies.
SEIA officials took a tour of SolarPanelRecycling.com’s facility in North Carolina where they observed techniques used to separate high-purity and high-value materials from solar panels and re-introduce them to the supply chain.
With many PV systems now starting to reach their end of life, there is growing concern about what happens to solar panels when they are no longer useful. Without an increase in solar recycling, the U.S. will contribute 10 million metric tons of trash in landfills and other waste facilities by 2050, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). To put this into context, the U.S. dumps almost 140 million tons of waste each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Through its National Recycling Program, SEIA is setting and implementing recycling standards to put into place a circular economy for the U.S. solar industry. Through its auditing process of recyclers such as SolarPanelRecycling.com, SEIA confirms insurance, regulatory compliance history, environmental permits and certifications. The audit also evaluates the Bill of Landings to ensure that all commodities recovered from solar equipment go directly to manufacturers consuming the resources. SEIA conducts a tour to confirm complete and true recycling occurs in-house without any outsourcing or shipping of panels to unknown locations.
“Through our National Recycling Program, SEIA is helping to lead the industry in addressing recycling earlier than any other industry, while cost-effectively removing uncertainties for our members,” stated Robert Nicholson, senior manager of sustainability at SEIA, who visited the SolarPanelRecyling.com head facility. “Our in-depth audit of SolarPanelRecycling.com revealed a professionally managed, highly organized, and clean operation that uses advanced technology for true recycling. With a downstream market for the materials it extracts, the company is an excellent fit for our National PV Recycling Program.”
SolarPanelRecycling.com uses proprietary technology to extract nearly 100% of the value from recycled solar equipment, the company reports, including silver, silicon, copper, aluminum, and glass. The company has four locations: two in North Carolina, and one in Georgia and Texas. The Texas center, considered its hub, is where the company performs R&D to further advance the recycling processes and sustainability standards.
“Our company was founded on the belief that not a single component of solar equipment should ever end up in the landfill. That’s why we developed the most advanced technology for extracting and recovering materials from solar equipment, ensuring they are pure enough to have a second life,” stated Brett Henderson, CEO of SolarPanelRecycling.com.
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