End-of-Life Management Analysis and Stakeholder Engagement

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As the number of photovoltaic (PV) installations rises, more modules will age and degrade over time, making it important to learn new ways to safely and properly dispose of PV modules. This project will use two approaches to investigate current and future state-of-the-art techniques to dispose of PV modules. First, the team will bring lessons learned from abroad by engaging with the environmental health and safety task force of the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA-PVPS) program, where experts are leading a set of projects on PV module end-of-life management. The team will also analyze topics relevant to end-of-life management from a U.S. perspective. This analysis will help inform manufacturers and other stakeholders on the value of current recycling requirements for PV hardware, as well as on the effectiveness of current efforts to design modules and other equipment for ease of reuse along the PV supply chain.