The Solar Photovoltaic Systems Recovery, Reuse, and Recycling Working Group
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The Photovoltaic Systems (PV) Working Group was created by the
Climate Solutions Now Act. The working group will
focus on options for recycling or reusing solar panels.
The Working Group will:
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Review solar photovoltaic systems currently used in the state, including:
- Examining the expected economically productive life cycle of the systems;
- Reviewing the materials that are used, have been used, or may be used in PV systems sold in the state,
- including identifying materials that can be recycled or that exhibit any characteristics of hazardous waste under state or federal law; and
- Identifying the number of solar photovoltaic systems in use and estimating the potential impacts of the state's landfill capacity of disposing of the systems in the state's landfills.
- Review other programs on PV systems recycling, disposal, and decommissioning.
- Identify ongoing and recent studies related to solar photovoltaic systems recycling, life-cycle analysis, and end-of-life programs.
- Review industry-approved best practices for managing end-of-life solar photovoltaic systems and their components, including the extent to which the systems and components may be:
- if not substantially damaged, refurbished, and reused for a similar purpose;
- recycled and the components recovered for reuse;
- for components that do not exhibit any characteristics of hazardous waste under state or federal law, safely disposed of in a construction and demolition or municipal solid waste landfill; and
- for components that exhibit any characteristics of hazardous waste under state or federal law, safely disposed of under state and federal requirements;
- Perform an economic analysis to determine the potential impact of solar photovoltaic systems recovery, reuse, and recycling on ratepayers, including a comparison to the economic impact on ratepayers of decommissioning, storing waste, and other costs associated with the end-of-life of other forms of energy generation;
- Perform an impact assessment to examine the environmental impacts of various PV systems' end-of-life scenarios, including the scenarios specified under item 4 of this subsection, compared to the life-cycle environmental impacts of non-solar energy generation sources in the state, including the environmental impacts of decommissioning, disposal, and long-term waste storage;
Perform an impact assessment to examine the environmental and economic benefits of generating energy from PV systems, including a comparison to the
environmental and economic benefits of nonsolar energy generation sources in the state;
Recommend financing mechanisms analyzed under item 9 of this subsection that best support a circular economy approach.
Analyze whether financing mechanisms, including advance recovery fees, recycling and disposal fees, and product stewardship programs are necessary to ensure proper end-of-life management of solar photovoltaic systems; and
Examine and recommend the infrastructure needed to develop a practical, effective, and cost-efficient method for collecting and transporting end-of-life solar photovoltaic modules for reuse, refurbishment, recycling, or disposal.
The Working Group will report its findings and recommendations to the Commission and the General Assembly.
Contact:
Bradley Baker, Working Group Facilitator, Maryland Department of the Environment, Bradley.Baker1@maryland.gov
Meeting Materials
