Username
Chris Stearns
Proposer First Name
Chris
Proposer Email
chris@cascadeem.com
Proposer Last Name
Stearns
Proposer Company/Organization
Cascade Eco Minerals, LLC
Proposer Phone
(802) 498-4158
Proposer Job Title
National Sales Director
Proposer Additional Info
After I received your invitation to submit session proposals I shared the message with our CEO, Curt Spivey. We discussed what could potentially work, and he asked that I submit this on our behalf.
Proposed Session Description
This session will identify and analyze the various facets of solar recycling and discuss the current state of the solar module recycling industry in the United States. From determining what ‘end-of-life’ really means to various end users, to the types of modules that can be recycled, and finally to the recycling process itself and the different applications for the resulting commodities.
Comments
Update from the proposer:
Update from the proposer:I am writing to inform you that the other speaker we are proposing for our session, Kate Collardson, had to back out of the commitment due to scheduling issues with her new job role. We will be working to secure another potential speaker, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of this change.
Lean No - Important topic,
Lean No - Important topic, and agree with Scott that this does not seem to be the focus of NESEA, i.e., do not think that many practitioners would change what they do based upon the contents of this presentataion.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Kate identifies as LGBTQ+ and therefore adds diversity to our panel
Learning Objectives
Investigate the lifecycle of a solar module in terms of both physical performance and financial return and how these factors can dictate when end-of-life occurs for a given array.
Discuss how different solar module technologies can be recycled when end-of-life occurs, including how certain technologies may require special handling.
Summarize the potential implications of not actively pursuing solar module recycling as the primary means of disposing this material.
Identify current solar module recycling efforts in the United States.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
Cascade Eco Minerals discussed Solar Module Recycling during a similar panel session at NABCEP 2021 : Knoxville, TN
Session Format
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Recommended Length
60-minute session
90-minute session
30-minute session
Comments about your speaker roster
Chris has over fifteen years of solar industry experience in manufacturing and distribution. He is the National Sales Director of Cascade Eco Minerals and came to the company out of a desire to see the solar industry address the growing need for suitable end-of-life practices.
Kate is another Solar Industry veteran who has been tireless in her efforts to educate the industry about the need for recycling. She has volunteered her time to several organizations in this field, most recently the website SolarRecycle.org which aims to help connect end users with regional solar module recycling companies.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
I have been engaged in recycling consumer goods for over thirty years, from cathode ray tubes to computers. When my partner and I recognized how significant the volume of solar modules is in this country we were surprised to find that the infrastructure to recycle them did not exist in a meaningful way.
There is an opportunity right now to address this shortcoming and in so doing to divert millions of tons of solar modules from the landfill over the coming decades. I see people like Chris and Kate blazing a trail for their contemporaries on this critical issue. - Curt Spivey, 10/26/21
Reviewer 1
Greenbaum, Scott
Proposal #
221
Committee Decision
Rejected
Presenters
Full Description
Solar module disposal is a topic that effects the entire industry and one that has been largely neglected up to this point. It is critical that industry stakeholders understand the issues involved and how addressing this need will be a benefit both now and in the future.
Maybe if nothing else makes
Maybe if nothing else makes the grade. Important but is it the focus of our conference?