First America, one of the largest recycling companies in the United States, is participating this week in RE+, in Anaheim, Calif., the “largest clean energy event in North America.” This year, their booth (MG1428) will showcase their expanding work recycling solar panels and other technologies that are leading toward reduced dependence on fossil fuels.
Les Bury, president of First America, noted that solar installations built today are far more efficient than those built 40, 30 or even 20 years ago. “We have for some time been replacing photovoltaic panels that have suffered long-term wear or catastrophic damage, but the industry recently has hit a tipping point where replacing even panels installed just 10 or 15 years ago is making sense from an efficiency standpoint,” he added.
“Previous projections by the EPA suggested that we could expect one million tons of solar panel waste by 2030, but we believe the technology leaps we are seeing will necessitate even earlier retiring of solar panels, which will cause us to reach that number sooner,” Bury said. He said First America hopes to connect with people looking for solutions to address their aging solar panels. He noted recycling allows valuable raw materials – precious metals, glass and other materials – to be reclaimed for the circular economy, reducing waste and pollution.
Bury pointed out that only a handful of recyclers have the physical footprint or the capabilities to handle solar panel recycling. “Together with our sister company METech, we have nearly one million square feet of physical plant space across eight facilities,” he said. He added that First America has the space to process solar panels and the resources to facilitate refurbishing and resale, and also access to the technologies needed to recover the precious metals and other materials in PV systems.
“At First America, we are dedicated to helping ensure maximum recovery with minimal landfill,” he said. He explained that about 30 percent of the PV panels First America receives are reusable, and the remainder are recycled. “We expect the percentage of reusable panels will grow as the life cycle shortens,” Bury said.
He said that they are hoping to be able to show attendees how First America can both reuse and recycle their PV panels and provide detailed reporting to help demonstrate the resulting reduction in their carbon footprint. “When our customers reach their goals, that helps their image, their bottom line and Planet Earth.”
For more information, visit www.firstamerica.com.
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Publish date : 2024-09-09 09:45:00
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