Two recently released reports from the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the University of Maryland’s Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) as part of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change proposed different strategies and recommendations that the state of Maryland can use to mitigate the causes of, prepare for, and adapt to the consequences of climate change.
One report was put out by the Solar Photovoltaic Systems Recovery, Reuse and Recycling working group, while the other was released by the Energy Resilience and Efficiency working group.
How can we make solar energy even more sustainable?
Susanna Thon and Sreyas Chintapalli
This report focuses on managing solar panel waste using a circular economy approach, which is a model of production and consumption that aims to reduce waste and extend the life of products and materials.
It highlights opportunities for reusing, repairing, remanufacturing, and recycling solar panels to reduce waste and mitigate the environmental impact of solar energy. With the state of Maryland prioritizing clean energy solutions to meet its energy needs, solar energy usage is expected to expand. Thus, the state must address the long-term management of solar panel waste if it intends to meet its aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
The report’s suggested circular economy approach is an improvement over the current processes the state of Maryland utilizes for end-of-life panel management, which lacks uniformity. It also notes that there are not any dedicated solar recyclers in Maryland and that the state’s first utility-scale solar panels will likely stop working by 2030. The circular economy approach, which focuses on reusing and remanufacturing panels, could reduce landfill waste by up to 45% through 2050, while also returning valuable materials to the supply chain.
Susanna Thon, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and the associate director of ROSEI, is a co-author on the study. Sreyas Chintapalli, a PhD student in Thon’s NanoEnergy Laboratory, has also played a key role in developing some of the report’s findings, including what waste solar panels might generate as they near the end of life.
“To support Maryland’s clean energy transition, the report advocates for developing a robust infrastructure for solar panel recycling and reuse,” said Thon. “By adopting a circular economy approach, the state can minimize waste, reduce reliance on landfills, and ensure that solar energy remains a sustainable and environmentally responsible solution.”
You can see the full report here.
Solidifying Maryland’s electricity future
ROSEI faculty on this report: Yury Dvorkin and Ben Hobbs
This report outlines the necessary actions for Maryland to develop an informed policy to ensure an efficient, affordable, reliable, and sufficient electricity supply for all consumers and comply with the state’s energy goals.
It emphasizes the importance of a forward-looking energy planning approach, considering complex interdependencies with PJM Interconnection (PJM) – the regional transmission organization (RTO) for Maryland – and neighboring states. By addressing uncertainties, leveraging a wide range of generation technologies and potentially reusing sites for retiring generations assets, and coordinating with PJM, Maryland can position itself to meet future electricity demand, coming for example from the growth of data centers and AI, while achieving its energy goals.
To maintain reliability, the report recommends system-wide analysis of transition pathways to inform policy processes, grid infrastructure planning, and reliance on a diverse portfolio of resources. This analysis must account for anticipated load growth – such as from electrification of building heating and cooling, transportation, and data centers) – changes in the supply mix, evolving state and federal policies, planning by PJM and neighboring independent system operators ISOs, and interactions with decisions by other states. An additional important priority is to manage the ability to supply all critical loads during extreme weather events.
Team Members on this report: Ziting Huang, Stephanie Wilcox, Boyu Yao
“Investment in renewable energy and battery storage systems will be essential to maintain and expand the state’s clean energy infrastructure,” said Yury Dvorkin, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and civil and systems engineering who is also an associate researcher with ROSEI and the study’s co-author. “Maryland can minimize outage risks and optimize the modernization of its distribution and transmission grids in a way that is adaptable to possible changes in technology, policy, and economic drivers.”
You can see the full report here.