First solar panel recycling company in N.J. opens headquarters in Phillipsburg
For all the promise of clean energy, the green revolution faces a stark irony: renewable technologies often end up in landfills.
But one New Jersey business is offering companies an alternative to sending old solar panels to the dump.
Commercial Solar Panel Recycling hosted a ribbon-cutting in April to celebrate the opening of its new headquarters at 400 Heckman St. in Phillipsburg, inside the Storage Systems USA warehouse complex.
The recycling company offers solar panel array recycling, dismantling and resale services in other locations around the United States, including California and New York.
Outdated and inefficient panel technology, manufacturing defects, damage and poor maintenance or simply a change in ownership can trigger a company to decommission their solar technology.
“Whatever the reason for dismantling and recycling, solar energy systems must be removed safely and adhere to regulatory compliance,” said James Higdon, a manager for the company.
Discarded solar panels are considered solid waste.
The U.S. is projected to have generated at least one million total tons of solar panel waste by 2030. By 2050, the U.S. is expected to have the second largest number of end-of-life panels in the world, with as many as an estimated 10 million total tons of panels, according to the EPA.
Commercial Solar Panel Recycling (CSPR) secured a Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The permit is the first of its kind specifically for solar panel recycling in the state.
The company also recycles PV panels, inverters, rails, mountings, electrical hardware. It also handles planning for large-scale solar farm decommissioning, according to its website. Some of the materials are repurposed and resold abroad.
Thank you for supporting our journalism.
Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or at glenn_epps_ on Instagram, Facebook and Threads.