In this week’s news round-up, we discuss an important goal set by the Department of Energy (DOE) and a new startup which aims to help accelerate solar panel recycling throughout the United States.
DOE aims sharply increase community solar usage by 2025
As a part of the Biden administration’s goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, the DOE has recently announced a goal to power five million homes with community solar by 2025. This would represent a 700 percent increase in the number of households using community solar, and would also result in approximately $1 billion in savings for subscribers.
Regarding the announcement, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm stated, “community solar is one of the most powerful tools we have to provide affordable solar energy to all American households, regardless of whether they own a home or have a roof suitable for solar panels.”
According to the Coalition for Community Solar Access, the DOE’s targeted increase in community solar subscribers is consistent with what will be required to reduce carbon emissions at the lowest overall cost.
Solar recycling aggregation site launches
As an increasing number of solar panels are installed on homes and businesses throughout the United States, many installers and manufacturers are beginning to offer solutions to dispose of panels after they are no longer needed. However, solar system recycling is still costly at this time and is not widespread. SolarRecycle.org was recently launched as a part of the solution to this issue. SolarRecycle.org aims to help connect solar owners to recycling companies by aggregating information on where to recycle panels or donate panels and features an interactive map for each state. SolarRecycle.com is still developing its network; however as more installed solar arrays reach the end of their usable life, similar solutions will become increasingly important.
