To prepare for the complex issues that we will face with the slowly growing, then burgeoning waste stream from EoL equipment PV modules, ISTC organized a working group of experts across various sectors to evaluate barriers and develop strategies for the state to address solar EoL management. As part of the Initiative, ISTC partnered with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to form a PV EoL Management Stakeholder Working Group in the spring of 2018. The working group was formed to examine options for a PV EoL management plan for Illinois that would ensure modules are properly disposed of at their EoL, encourage the recovery of valuable resources that would otherwise be lost, and look at the potential reuse of still viable modules.
The group includes a diverse set of stakeholders with over 30 active members including the IEPA, U.S. EPA, Solar Energy Industries Association, Illinois Solar Energy Association, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, representatives from Illinois counties, U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Product Stewardship Institute, PV module manufacturers, Midwest and Illinois solar PV and e-waste recyclers, Illinois PV installers/developers, Illinois PV distributors, Illinois PV training organizations, Illinois solar energy market experts, and national, state, and local environmental advocacy groups. The group’s intention is to identify barriers to integrating PV into the circular economy and develop recommendations for the state that include technical and economic solutions that will enable environmentally sustainable PV EoL management decisions to be enacted in Illinois and beyond.
The overall group has confirmed there is a need for funding mechanisms and resources for a state-wide feasibility study including:
- Strategic Plan for the state;
- Solutions for reuse/redeployment, refurbishment, and recycling; and
- Assessment of policy options that can help to drive PV EoL requirements.
For more information, or to express interest in working group participation, contact Debra Jacobson, Associate Director, Technical Assistance and Outreach Program.