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E-waste is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years due to the increasing number of decommissioned PV panels. PV Panels are replaced before their technical end-of-life span, due to the significantly better efficiency of new generations of PV panels. As a result, older but still functional PV panels end up in the shedder creating unnecessary waste. Simultaneously, the municipality of Amsterdam wants to put PV panels on every roof in Amsterdam while also moving towards a circular economy. This means that there is a need for solutions for the upcoming waste steam of decommissioned PV panels.
Direct reuse of the still functional PV panels that are decommissioned can slow down the waste stream. This, amongst other beneficial effects, can help the municipality to achieve its goals. Moreover, in de meantime, better recycling techniques and circular designed PV panels can become part of the regime (the current socio-technical practices regarding (decommissioned PV panels).
The goal of this research is to identify the values and barriers in the reuse chain of PV panels and investigate if reusing PV panels can help alleviate energy poverty in Amsterdam Zuidoost. This is accomplished through a living lab approach, including stakeholders of the chain in every part of the research.
Hence, the following research question is formulated: “What are barriers and values within the direct reuse chain of PV panels in Amsterdam Zuidoost and how can they alleviate energy poverty in that neighborhood? A mixed method approach is used: First, a literature review is executed. Secondly, a series of interviews are conducted, both informational exploratory as well and semi-structured. Lastly, a co-creation session is held together with a selection of stakeholders.
Resulting from the data-collecting methods, two tables are created where all identified values and barriers are categorized into the three sustainability dimensions: social, environmental, and financial. The values and barriers are arranged on significance creating an overview of the most important ones, according to the involved stakeholders, in the PV panel reuse chain. Furthermore, the stakeholders collaborated on ideas for solutions for the most important barrier: the lack of PV installers. Out of this collaboration followed a list of recommendations for the stakeholders in this chain.
Most barriers identified in the literature research, interviews, and co-creation are direct social and direct economic in nature. The results showed that most values have indirect social and indirect environmental impacts. PV panel reuse projects run into social or economic challenges, while the rewards, which resonate more in the environmental and social spheres, are delayed. They occur indirectly to the stakeholders (e.g., later in time) or benefit others in the chain, but not necessarily the stakeholders that need to invest initially. Therefore, the process would benefit from the division of responsibilities among the stakeholders.
The mitigation of energy poverty is seen by the stakeholders as an important value as this
is a problem that affects a high percentage of households in Zuidoost. However, it is unsure how the reuse of PV panels can accurately contribute to mitigating this problem significantly. To elaborate, energy poverty is only defined in literature for households, however, this living lab was solely based around reusing PV panels on larger, community, or government-owned buildings. The results indicate that it is very complicated to reuse PV panels on a household scale due to primarily financial barriers.
Moreover, the results suggest there are many more values created besides just alleviation of energy poverty by reusing PV panels. Besides, reused PV panels are not the best or most ethical
way to alleviate energy poverty issues.
Finally, the process of this living lab emphasizes collaboration and the importance of creating an overview, to onset a niche process in an overall bigger landscape development of circular resources use and the renewable energy transition.
Source:
Floris Bottema, Iris van Kempen, Kyra Koning, Liesbeth Lens & Quinten Isselman, Reusing Solar: The values and barriers of second-hand PV Panels in Amsterdam Zuidoost, AMS Institute (MSc Metropolitan, Analysis, Design and Engineering, December 2022.