Decom Solar, a solar decommissioning service, has mobilized in Cape Coral, Florida, to support a big box retail client with its Hurricane Ian clean-up efforts.
Credit: Decom Solar
A sizable portion of a two-year-old 889.2 kW system and the roof were damaged by the Category 4 storm. Decom Solar is testing all equipment to determine what can be reused and what must be properly recycled. All equipment in working condition will then be removed and stored for the repair work to take place. All damaged modules will be recycled with a SEIA-certified recycler and all damaged racking, inverters and balance-of-system equipment will be processed through local recyclers.
“When people read about solar decommissioning, they often assume that the equipment is being removed and thrown out. We are focused on making sure that all working equipment remains in operation. We are committed to keeping solar modules out of landfills, regardless of the reason they need to be removed,” said Stephen Burns, co-founder of Decom Solar.
By keeping this working equipment in operation, it is estimated to offset enough energy to power 125 homes per year or preserve 6.7 acres of U.S. forests in one year. Decom Solar is partnered with One Tree Planted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to global reforestation, and for this project will donate 2,340 trees to be planted on its client’s behalf.
News item from Decom Solar
This type of operation where panels are only a couple of years old makes sense to evaluate and replace as necessary. Most solar PV operations that have been used for 10 or more years, may be better off to replace with the latest/greatest panel, tracking, and inverter technologies combined with the latest/greatest ESS technology. Finding used solar PV panel asset worth on the salvage/used panel market would also allow used panels to be sold below cost of new panels and gain some money from assets that would normally be “stranded”. As technologies advance in the solar PV cell recycling arena, one can see small energy companies taking 20 year old solar PV farms and replace the old array with new solar PV panel technology, evaluate and sell old panels on the used market to save on overall labor for the capital improvements program of the solar farm overall. Doing the same with the ESS systems creating a “circular recycling/manufacturing economy” will enable regulation of commodity prices across the board.