Energy Department Invests $20M in Solar Panel Recycling

The Biden Administration is investing in recyclable solar panels.

The Energy Department recently announced it is investing $20 million to fund better solar technology and panels.

The $20 million invested presumably includes $8 million from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in Nov. 2021.

For A More Sustainable Tomorrow

The Energy Department mentioned in its announcement that the money it is investing is to fund higher-quality solar technology and more recyclable and longer-lasting solar panels. The department said that the investment is part of Bidenomics and President Biden's Investing in America agenda.

To be specific, The Energy Department is funding the development of technology that could minimize the use of solar energy system materials and improve the installation quality and resilience of photovoltaic (PV) systems. The funds it is investing in will also help streamline the reuse and recyclability of solar panels.

To better recycle solar panels, the Energy Department plans to set up a Solar partnership to Advance Recycling and Circularity. The department expects it will improve materials recovery and develop safe end-of-life practices for PV system components.

Additionally, the projects the program will fund will help develop "holistic solutions" to enable the country to adapt solar energy more efficiently over the next decade. The increasing adaption will then help create jobs in communities across the country through the delivery and installation of solar panels.

The investment is also the latest the Biden Administration gave following its $52 million investment through the Energy Department to help increase the US' domestic solar supply chain and the funding for technologies that will help integrate solar energy into the electric grid.

Similarly, the Energy Department's investment follows the Biden Administration's efforts to help Americans switch to more sustainable energy sources. According to the Solar Futures Study the Energy Department commissioned in Sept. 2021, solar power would need to supply 45% of the country's electricity to decarbonize it.

As such, the US PV industry would need to grow to four or five times its current size in the next decade.

Is Switching To Solar Panels Worth It?

For the average American family, switching to solar power may be worth doing if certain conditions are right. While it is true that solar energy will help families lower their electricity bills and increase their home value, installing solar panels can be an expensive affair.

An average 5-kW solar panel setup in the US would set someone back by $15,000. Add that to the cost of hiring a contractor to install them and solar power could be more trouble than they are worth.

Additionally, families need to be spending more than $75 on their electricity bill to really enjoy the return on investment solar panels provide.

Last but not least, they must have a strong/well-maintained roof, a good location, and a low amount of shade/obstacles for families to maximize the benefits they can get from solar power. While the weather could be an issue, getting high-efficiency solar panels could help negate most of the energy a regular solar panel setup would lose during cloudy weather.