Interview: Inside solar panel decommissioning

pv magazine: Could you tell me a bit about Decom Solar and its work?

Stephen Burns: I worked in the solar industry for a project developer for 10 years prior to starting Decom Solar. During that time we started to see clients requesting end of life management. We did not have a solution for end-of-life and there weren’t many partners who provided that service. My business partner and I saw this as an opportunity. We started Decom Solar with a focus on providing C&I and small utility-scale customers with turnkey end-of-life PV services, which includes full decommissioning, repowering, and what we call “de/re,” deinstallation and reinstallation where a system needs to be removed temporarily so work can be done on the roof.

We’re currently working on 17 projects across the United States for asset owners, developers [and] O&M [operations and maintenance] and roofing companies. Our business objective is to make sure that decommissioning is done sustainably, ensuring that no material from these systems winds up in landfill. We’ve found that around 85% of the components we come across still have life in them and in these instances we work with equipment resellers and vetted nonprofits to resell or donate, which can have a great positive impact on underserved communities.

How do you handle the testing required to decide whether something should go to recycling or to a second-life application?

Usually, we can get a sense of whether a component can be reused just based on the age and type of material. We come across a lot of legacy material, like Solyndra modules or frameless modules, which we know will need to be recycled. For any modules over 250 W, we’ll run tests such as IV curve tracing, infrared imaging, backsheet inspection, connector reviews, etc., to determine if they are viable for reuse.

One challenge for us is that, a lot of times, clients have reserved zero capital for decommissioning. Even when I was on the developer side of the industry there was no line item in the financial modeling for end-of-life expenses. For most clients, the objective is to do this sustainably but at the lowest cost possible. In those cases, reselling usable equipment can help to offset some of the labor costs.

You mentioned that Decom Solar is one of the first movers in this space. What other options are available to clients when it comes to decommissioning?

The one we want to avoid is landfilling. We have lost project bids based on price because we include the cost of recycling, when required. At this point, recycling can range anywhere from $12 to $18 per module, which quickly adds up on larger systems. There are a couple of other companies who offer decommissioning services and a lot of consultants that provide guidance on how to decommission a project but there aren’t many whose sole focus is end-of-life services.

We’re gaining a lot of positive traction and becoming recognizable as the ones people can turn to for a full turnkey offering. We’ll do everything from permitting and dealing with utilities, to removing the actual system and ensuring that it’s handled properly. We provide documentation at the end of the project that shows that all material has been disposed of properly, or transfer of ownership records in cases of resale or donation.

Are there regulations in place to govern this space? And what do asset owners have to do when it comes to end-of-life management?

There are very few here in the US. Generally speaking, it’s managed on a state-by-state basis. If there were federal regulations it would certainly help move the industry forward but for now the system location determines how the material must be handled. Only a couple of states have any formal regulation, specifically California and Washington, but several are actively exploring legislation. We find that solar modules are lumped in with universal or electronic waste. Some are deemed hazardous waste which requires meticulous handling and strict adherence to regulations. We do things the right way and ensure that this equipment is put back into the supply chain through reuse or recycling.

How often is it the case that end-of-life treatment is not considered at all in a project contract?

Most of the time we find there has been no forward thinking about how much it is going to cost. In the case of larger ground mount or utility-scale permitting, authorities typically require developers and asset owners to come up with a decommissioning plan. This is essentially non-existent in the rooftop space, where no forward thinking was required by authorities. For projects being built today it is more common that decommissioning consideration is taken. We speak with developers often who are starting to plan and working directly with us to get a sense of what it costs to remove a system. This allows them to include decommissioning in the overall project finances so when the project reaches its end-of-life they can quickly move forward with planned costs.

How is the landscape for recycling in the United States? Do you have options for who you can work with?

There are a handful of companies who offer this, and the Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing a lot of funding to drive innovation in recycling. We are seeing these efforts start to take root. Companies focused on PV module recycling are developing large recycling plants throughout the country. There are also a lot of older recyclers coming from different industries, be it electronics or aluminum or glass, that are starting to revamp their processes to be able to handle large volumes of PV modules. The DOE has a plan to get the cost of recycling more in line with the cost of landfilling, which is about $3 a module. The Solar Energies Technology Office (SETO) of the DOE recently stated that they are focused to get PV recycling costs to $5 a module. This would help tremendously in getting companies to accept that cost. There are tried and trusted recyclers throughout the US that support our efforts, and SEIA [trade body the Solar Energy Industries Association] has done an excellent job to create the SEIA National PV Recycling Program. As a part of this program, they visit recycling plants to check their operations and ensure they are doing things properly.

Aside from modules, are other components, such as racking or inverters, easier to get to recyclers?

Racking certainly is, we’re generally dealing with steel and there is a healthy steel recycling market. On the inverter side it is a bit more nuanced. We are operating on systems from the past so we’re forced to handle legacy equipment, mainly large central inverters. We work with a network of asset owners and O&M companies who are interested in purchasing inverters to have spare equipment on hand. If entire units are not sellable, we work with partners who will strip the valuable components from those inverters to reuse them in their operations and maintenance efforts. In all cases, the steel frame of these inverters is easily recyclable. There is a healthy market that we are tapped into and we ensure that what can be reused is getting reused.

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