Blog: American Solar Energy Society

Johnny, a self-described “Jewish-Rasta-Zen-Quaker-Humanist,” passed away at home on July 10, 2025, surrounded by family. He was 74 years old. In the year since his cancer diagnosis he was cared for closely by his sons, Alex and Zack, and his former wife Caryn. In what would be his final days, Johnny wrote a farewell letter to his beloved solar family. 

 

Johnny often said he felt lucky in life—and he meant it. Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey in 1951, he credited much of his joy to two loving older brothers, a tight-knit junior high friend group that stayed close for more than sixty years, his home family, his global solar family and a life filled with community, travel, friendship, mischief and meaning. He never felt the need to lock his house or car (the car was only stolen once), and he never lost his appetite for adventure.

Arriving by motorcycle with his best friend Kevin in the summer of 1972, he made Colorado and the Roaring Fork Valley his home. After building homes and teaching at Colorado Mountain College in 1991, he co-founded Solar Energy International (SEI) as a nonprofit. For almost two decades, thousands of students from all over the world traveled to SEI in Carbondale and later Paonia to learn solar energy and pursue careers in renewable energy. His passion was magnetic, his mentorship unwavering and his commitment to underserved communities foundational to everything he did.

Johnny reminded us that we must never lose sight of the communities still without reliable power, the schools still teaching by candlelight, the clinics still waiting for basic energy access. This is where his heart lived. Johnny often said that the world was our classroom—and he meant it. After retiring from SEI, Johnny continued to work with communities to bring solar energy to those who needed it most—from Maasai villages in Tanzania to sovereign Native American lands across the U.S. In May 2024, ASES awarded Johnny with our Code Development, Innovation, and Training Award in honor of Claudia Hansen Wentworth for his work propelling the solar industry forward by leading the charge in education.

Johnny reminded us that SEI was never just about solar energy technology. It was about community. It was about potlucks and networking with a global community of students who visited the SEI Paonia, Colorado Training Facility. It was about the connections made through the SEI Online Campus, serving thousands of students every year from all over the world. It was about finding your “solar tribe.” And above all, it was about creating a better world through education, connection, and relentless hope.

He was proud—so deeply proud—of how far we’d come together. From the early counterculture roots reading Home Power Magazine to SEI becoming a world-class solar training organization, Johnny never lost sight of the people at the center of it all. His passion was magnetic, his mentorship unwavering, and his commitment to underserved communities foundational to everything he did.

Highs and Lows: He skydived (high on mescaline), scuba dived 120 feet beneath the sea, telemarked snowy peaks, fly-fished wild rivers, and once unscrewed incandescent lightbulbs mid-ride on a slow-moving Disneyland attraction—because even on vacation, energy efficiency matters. He got as high and as low as a person could on this fragile, spinning blue-green orb we all call home. 

Johnny believed in Love and Gravity—what Buckminster Fuller called the two most powerful forces in the universe. He believed in being of use, in community, in the sacred task of healing the world (Tikkun Olam, תיקון עולם), and in the importance of sharing good food, good ideas, and good high-quality cannabis. He was open about living with bipolar II, dyslexia, a long s-s-s-stutter, and a short stature—but what he lacked in height or technical precision, he more than made up for with boundless enthusiasm.

The past year became a gift: long phone calls with old friends, fly fishing, stargazing and visits from the people he loved most. He cherished this time deeply. The house was full of laughter, music, dogs, memories, and mismatched chairs pulled up for shared meals and stories. It gave him the chance to reflect, celebrate, and say goodbye on his own terms. In his final moments, Johnny expressed his love to all and said that he felt blessed.

 

Rest in peace, dear Johnny Weiss. You left us surrounded by love, and you leave behind a world still glowing with the warmth you gave it. Your vision is alive. Your people are ready. And your light will never go out.

With peace, with love, and with solar for all—

Ya mon.

 

Donations can be made to SEI’s Johnny Weiss Solar Energy Access for All Initiative providing scholarships to underserved populations around the world and deepening our commitment to developing world programs.

The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) hosted SOLAR 2025, the 54th annual National Solar Conference, August 4–6, 2025, at the University of Colorado Boulder. The event brought together thought leaders, innovators, policymakers, students, faculty, researchers, and advocates from across the solar and renewable energy community to share ideas, inspire innovation, and build momentum for the clean energy transformation.

This year’s conference theme, “Innovation for Universal Renewable Energy Access,” highlighted solutions that drive climate resilience, energy justice, and technological progress. Attendees arrived curious about the state of the industry, given recent federal changes, and left affirming that solar is here to stay.

The industry is strong enough to persist without federal subsidies and continues to have support at state and local levels. Attendees engaged in dynamic sessions, expanded interactive poster sessions, hands-on workshops, ASES’s first-ever career fair, and networking opportunities that fostered collaboration across the clean energy sector.

Throughout the conference, several recurring themes emerged, underscoring the breadth and urgency of today’s renewable energy transformation. Presentations and discussions highlighted the growing importance of policies that ensure equitable access to energy, particularly for low-income families and communities.

Innovations in agrivoltaics, including approaches that integrate solar with crops, livestock, and natural habitats, showed how solar can enhance rather than compete with agricultural and ecological systems. Building-integrated solar and grid advancements demonstrated how renewable energy is shaping both our infrastructure and our daily lives.

A group of conference attendees touring Jack’s Solar Garden as part of the Local Boulder Solar Tour. © ASES

Sessions also explored tipping points for solar, wind, and batteries, as well as the global forces driving the transition policy and geopolitics, climate and sustainability risks, artificial intelligence, energy transition financing, critical minerals competition, and the rapid growth of cleantech industries.

The conference concluded with a call to action: governments, companies, and the general public must work together to embed transparency, inclusiveness, and good governance into every level of the renewable energy sector. This includes policy frameworks, procurement processes, investment practices, and community advocacy.

SOLAR 2025 carried an optimistic and forward-looking spirit. Attendees came away with practical insights and renewed professional connections, and also with a shared sense that the clean energy transformation is accelerating. Despite policy shifts and supply chain issues with tariffs, the conversations in Boulder reflected a community confident in solar’s staying power and united by a vision of a just and sustainable energy future.

ASES Fellows who came to the 2025 Fellows Reception to celebrate the three 2025 fellow inductees (Seth Masia, Jennifer Rennick, and Jeffrey Peterson). © ASES

Our country’s longest-running annual solar conference, ASES is committed to being mindful of our impact on the ground and on the environment. Via thoughtful planning, SOLAR 2025 was a 100% zero-emissions event. By purchasing carbon offsets and adopting sustainable practices, ASES ensures that these in-person conferences support the planet we’re working to protect.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Boulder to make this year’s conference both inspiring and sustainable. A very special thank you to our generous sponsors and partners:

• Nextracker
• Solar Design Associates
• Ampacity
• Clevercoat Renewable Roofing
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
• Canvas Cloud
• Boulder County Sustainability Climate Action & Resilience
• Solar Wave Energy, Inc
• ProjectLeapFrog.org
• REPowering Schools
• Vote Solar
• Blacks in Performance Marketing
• University of Colorado Boulder’s Master of the Environment
• New Energy Colorado
• The International Solar Energy Society

Save the Date: SOLAR 2026 in Austin, TX

ASES is excited to announce that next year’s conference, SOLAR 2026, the 55th annual National Solar Conference, will be held October 19–21, 2026, in Austin, Texas. The conference will once again unite professionals, students, and community leaders to advance the vision of a 100% renewable energy future, along with celebrating the 50th Anniversary of our ASES Chapter, the Texas Solar Energy Society (TXSES)! Pete Parsons, Executive Director of TXSES has proclaimed that it will be the best solar conference ASES has ever had. Keep an eye out for updates at ases.org/conference.

Goldenvoice, the live entertainment subsidiary of AEG, is reshaping the sustainability landscape of large-scale music festivals. From Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival to Tyler the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival and Portola Music Festival, the company is demonstrating that renewable energy practices are not just aspirational—they’re operational.

At the heart of this transformation is a partnership with the environmental nonprofit REVERB and Overdrive Energy Solutions. Together, they’ve replaced traditional diesel generators with modular battery systems powered by solar energy and the electrical grid, or with hybridized renewable diesel.

“Working with Goldenvoice has pushed us to think bigger, faster,” said Neel Vasavada, Co-Founder of Overdrive Energy Solutions. “They’ve challenged us to take proven concepts and apply them to more complex, higher-profile environments.”

In 2024, Goldenvoice partnered with REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project, an initiative aimed at accelerating environmental sustainability across the music industry. The funding supported Goldenvoice’s ongoing transition into renewable energy at two of its regional festivals that year, Portola in San Francisco and Camp Flog Gnaw in Los Angeles.

“We’re thrilled to see AEG/Goldenvoice rapidly adopt clean energy technology and are proud to be a part of it,” said Adam Gardner, founder of REVERB. “This is exactly what our Music Decarbonization Project was created for.”

At the two-day Portola Music Festival, where an estimated 42,000 guests attended each day, the Ship Stage became the company’s first fully battery-powered stage, eliminating
the need for 6,053 gallons of diesel and avoiding 48.8 metric tons of CO₂ emissions.1

People dancing and listening to music at a stage at the Cali Vibes Music Festival. © AAlyssa Pascucci

Camp Flog Gnaw followed suit with longtime power partner, CES Power, recharging the majority of its five Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with generators to enhance efficiency, according to data provided by Goldenvoice. Overdrive deployed over 30 BESS units providing over 5.4 megawatt hours of clean energy storage, charged primarily by grid power. The sold-out two-day festival at Dodger Stadium in City avoided over 4,261 gallons of diesel and 35.7 metric tons of CO₂ emissions. This transition marked a significant milestone in the industry’s shift toward renewable energy solutions.

Vasavada said that these methods result in up to a 99% reduction in harmful emissions and remove noisy, high-maintenance generators from sensitive areas like VIP lounges, artist compounds, and medical tents alongside stages. LED lighting is also used extensively across festival grounds in place of incandescent lights, reducing overall energy consumption.

Goldenvoice also implements a power “right-sizing” strategy, which aims at significantly reducing fuel consumption and eliminating energy waste. This data-driven approach measures real-time energy use from generators and batteries, enabling precise planning to deliver power efficiently and only where it’s needed.

These systems help streamline operations by offering greater flexibility in deployment, simplifying site design, and reducing the need for on-site fuel handling. Energy monitoring and data analytics enable continuous improvement, allowing the company to refine and scale its solutions from one event to the next without compromising the artist and fan experience.

Earlier this year Goldenvoice achieved a major feat at its Cali Vibes Music Festival in Long Beach, CA, following years of testing battery-powered stages within regional markets. For the first time in company history, they successfully scaled from powering just one or two stages with batteries, to running the festival’s main stage and second stage with hybridized battery systems, and a smaller “Boomyard” stage with 100% solar power and batteries.

Goldenvoice’s approach offers a replicable model for how live events can reduce their environmental footprint, while improving operational efficiency. As climate concerns grow and audiences increasingly expect sustainability from the brands they support, the greening of music festivals is becoming a strategic imperative. “[Goldenvoice is] willing to pilot new tech, collaborate deeply with partners, and build long-term strategies instead of settling for one-off gestures,” Vasavada said. “That mindset is rare in the live event space, and it’s what makes real change possible. It’s why we prioritize our work with them.”

About the Author
Meghan Tierney is a Senior Manager of Sustainability at AEG, a worldwide sports and live entertainment company. At AEG, she develops and executes sustainability strategies for large-scale music festivals, venues, and tours. She has led sustainability efforts for globally recognized events such as Coachella, Stagecoach, Goldenvoice Festivals, and the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Source

1. https://tinyurl.ee/AVCtW

Solar system recycling is now a rapidly growing business, working to keep pace with the growth of the solar industry. The number of solar recycling companies across the U.S. has been increasing exponentially in the last several years. The map on DOE’s website includes only a fraction of the companies now recycling solar systems.

Ideally, solar recycling facilities would also be set up to upcycle—that is, test the panels and move the good ones on to second-life projects. Many owners of solar PV systems that are at least 15 years old have decided to replace these systems to take advantage of the federal tax credits before they’re gone, and because newer equipment is so much more efficient. Most of these old solar panels can be reused or upcycled. There are many great projects out there involving upcycling and the reuse of solar panels.

Solar Kits for Schools

In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA) and Drexel University’s College of Engineering are collaborating to expand solar education in area middle and high schools through experiential learning with real solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, using diagnostic and other equipment and materials, and lesson plans.

What distinguishes PSEA’s Solar Kit is that it is made from an actual, repurposed solar PV panel that provided electricity to a resident for 20 years but still has years of useful life remaining. PSEA worked with Drexel Engineering faculty and students to test the panels, design the kit, and develop the lesson plans. PSEA will also be collaborating with George Washington Carver Engineering High School to build the kits.

Students will learn the fundamentals of electricity, how solar PV actually works, and how to harness the sun to do work, like pump water. This is accomplished through immersive, hands-on lessons. The kits also offer tremendous opportunities for ongoing free inquiry beyond the provided curriculum.

(Left) Repurposed solar panels from a PSEA Solar Kit. (Right) Pumping water from power of upcycled
solar panels. © Ron Celentano, PSEA Technical Director

Upcycling/Recycling Operation

PSEA played a pivotal role in encouraging Sycamore International, a very successful electronics recycling company based in West Grove, PA, to expand its operations into the emerging field of solar recycling.

At Sycamore’s recycling facility, solar panels, inverters, racking, and balance-of-system components are received, assessed, and processed. Every item is evaluated for reuse potential. Photovoltaic (PV) panels undergo performance testing, and those demonstrating greater than 85% of their original nameplate efficiency are earmarked for reuse. These panels are further inspected for wiring integrity, tested for resistance and open-circuit voltage, and repaired or re-terminated with new connectors where necessary.

Solar Panel testing at Sycamore International

Sycamore focuses on refurbishing equipment for reuse because it is more energy and capital-efficient to reuse materials than it is to recycle materials. Equipment deemed suitable for reuse is refurbished, cleaned, and prepared for resale in both domestic and international markets. Panels or components that do not meet reuse standards are separated to be responsibly dismantled and sorted by material category for downstream recycling.

Sycamore partners with various certified processors and refiners to maximize material recovery through mechanical, thermal, and chemical processes. Aluminum, glass, metallurgical-grade silicon, copper, silver, tin, and trace lead from legacy solder are efficiently extracted, supporting closed-loop recycling for reintegration into the manufacturing supply chain.

Through this initiative, Sycamore International is building a sustainable end-of-life program for solar equipment while promoting circular economy principles and maximizing resource recovery.

There is growing demand for second-life solar panels from the U.S., particularly in many African nations and other regions across the Global South. These markets are often underserved by traditional energy infrastructure but are rapidly embracing distributed solar as a cost-effective solution for electrification.

Solar panel testing. © Ron Celentano, PSEA Technical Director

Tested and refurbished panels offer a compelling value proposition, enabling schools, clinics, farms, and small businesses to access affordable, reliable energy.

As demonstrated by Sycamore’s new program, this emerging industry will play a vital role in delivering quality-assured, pre-owned solar equipment that supports energy access, economic development, and environmental stewardship on a global scale.

Power Up Gambia, a Philadelphia, PA-based nonprofit, has been donating and installing solar systems on hospitals in Gambia, West Africa, for decades. Many rural hospitals and clinics in Gambia have had to rely on diesel generators for electricity, a very expensive, polluting, and not always reliable source of power.

Low-cost, quality repurposed solar modules allow the installation of an inexpensive power source to run vaccine refrigerators, lights, lab equipment, and oxygen concentrators.

In addition, the sale of repurposed modules in the rural regions allows small farmers to afford water pumping systems—something of great value in a country with a 7-month-long dry season.

Repurposed modules from the USA are often of better quality and lower price than new but inferior quality panels that often show up in the African market. This helps build the solar industry in-country and disseminates knowledge into the rural areas where small solar projects have significant impact.

Cameroon and many other African countries are also providing growing markets for repurposed solar panels.

Solar panel usage in Africa. © GCShutter

Solar Panels for Ukraine

Andy Lenec and many volunteers from Boulder, Colorado, have sent more than 100 solar panels to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February of 2022. Russia has systematically targeted energy infrastructure, including nuclear plants, to inflict power outages and economic damage on Ukraine.

Volunteers of all ages connect portable car chargers to used solar panels, creating solar-powered USB chargers to send to Ukrainians who face unreliable electricity and power outages due to the ongoing war with Russia. With these devices, Ukrainians can charge their mobile devices and stay connected with loved ones, and receive emergency alerts.

The son of Ukrainian political refugees, Lenec grew up entrenched in Ukrainian culture and served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine. He uses his strong relationships with people living in Ukraine to effectively distribute aid. “It’s my duty to support Ukraine,” Lenec said. “But it’s the duty of every human being also to support a country that is fighting a proxy war for democracy, for freedom, for self-determination.”

The technical process of converting the solar panels is only one part of the work. Many of the volunteers spend most of their time painting the backs of the panels with colorful drawings and messages of support, in English and Ukrainian.

The project started out upcycling used solar panels, but transitioned to smaller, new panels as demand grew. Solar system recycling continues to be a fast-growing need across the U.S—and several companies are making great headways to upcycle and reuse solar panels to create a more circular economy.

About the Author
Liz Robinson is the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA), a nonprofit dedicated to expanding solar in PA. Prior to coming to PSEA, Liz founded and directed the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) and co-founded and directed the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) the energy efficiency trade association for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In war-torn Ukraine, where drone attacks have become a daily threat and infrastructure lies in ruins, survival now hinges on more than just food and shelter—it hinges on access to power.

As electricity grids are crippled by conflict and public utilities are rendered unreliable or entirely destroyed, the need for off-grid, secure energy sources has never been more urgent. Amid this backdrop, solar energy is emerging not just as an environmentally friendly solution, but as a literal life-saving force on the front lines.

The Crisis of Energy Insecurity

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, millions of civilians—particularly in the eastern and southern regions—have been forced to adapt to life without consistent access to electricity, heat, or water.

Entire communities in areas such as Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, and Kherson face daily hardships as infrastructure collapses under the pressure of war. Families often resort to burning firewood to prepare meals and stay warm, risking not only their health but their safety.

In many frontline zones, smoke from these fires can attract Russian drones that use visible indicators to locate
and strike targets. Even the simple act of cooking has become a dangerous signal in a war where anything revealing human presence can be used against civilians.

This ongoing threat has created a unique and urgent need for power that is not only clean and off-grid, but discreet. It’s in this dangerous and evolving context that the solar industry— traditionally seen as a tool for sustainable development—has found a powerful new role.

A Humanitarian Innovation Rooted in Solar

To meet this need, humanitarian organization Hope for Ukraine has launched the Solar Energy Resilience Program, an initiative designed to bring sustainable power directly to civilians living under the threat of war. The program distributes portable solar kits that include a 200-watt solar panel and a smoke-free electric stovetop. These kits offer a safe, reliable way for families to cook meals, charge phones, power lights, and keep small devices operational—critical needs in areas cut off from centralized resources.

A mother and daughter stand next to the solar panel provided with the Solar Resilience kits. © Hope for Ukraine

Each solar panel charges fully in about eight hours and generates enough energy to power a household’s most essential needs. More importantly, the electric cooktops included in the kits allow families to prepare warm meals without generating smoke, reducing the risk of detection by enemy forces.

So far, the program has delivered 80 kits to households in high-risk zones, with a goal of delivering at least 220 more by the end of 2025. The need is overwhelming—over 10,000 families are currently on the waiting list for one of these life-saving kits.

A New Model for Humanitarian Aid

Traditionally, humanitarian organizations have focused on short-term emergency aid—delivering food, water, blankets, and medicine. While this kind of support is essential in the immediate aftermath of disasters, it often lacks the infrastructure to help communities rebuild or adapt to long-term crises. Hope for Ukraine’s Solar Energy Resilience Program is helping to change that.

By shifting from short-term relief to long-term resilience, the program is setting a new precedent. Solar kits don’t just offer power—they restore autonomy. Families can prepare their own food, heat their homes, and keep their children engaged in remote learning with charged laptops. In doing so, they reclaim a sense of control and dignity in a landscape otherwise defined by instability and fear.

Other aid organizations are beginning to take notice. The success of Hope for Ukraine’s initiative is inspiring conversations around how renewable energy technologies can be deployed in other conflict zones. Solar power offers an inherently resilient form of energy that doesn’t rely on fragile infrastructure—making it an ideal solution for humanitarian aid in volatile regions.

Lighting the Path Forward

Through the Solar Energy Resilience Program, Hope for Ukraine is offering more than aid; it’s offering a path toward stability and safety. By leveraging renewable energy, the organization is proving that humanitarian innovation can deliver immediate relief while also building a foundation for recovery and resilience.

As Ukraine continues to endure the profound toll of war, programs like this demonstrate that even in the darkest of times, there are ways to bring light—literally and figuratively—to those who need it most.

About the Author
Yuriy Boyechko is a Founder and President of Hope For Ukraine Inc, a non-profit that serves individuals and families of the poorest communities in the Ukraine. After graduating from Regent University in 2005 with an MA in Media Communication, he has been involved in the media and entertainment industry ever since. In 2016, Hope For Ukraine was founded. His goal is to raise awareness for voices not heard in Ukraine, especially children affected by HIV and AIDS. Providing medical care for children with disabilities as well as food and clothing for families that live in extreme poverty is a lifetime commitment for Yuriy and his wife Tatyana.

Back when I served under Secretary Chu at the Department of Energy, we used to say energy efficiency was the “low-hanging fruit”— or even “the fruit on the ground”. Fast forward 15 years, and the landscape has changed dramatically. AI, cryptocurrency, and data centers are driving energy demand through the roof, and we now accept a projected 25% increase1 in U.S. electricity consumption by 2030.

On July 4 of this year, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was passed, initiating a phased elimination of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The ITC for residential solar projects will end on December 31, 2025, except for those that begin construction before July 4, 2026, or become operational by December 31, 2027.

The ITC for commercial solar projects will follow a separate phase-out schedule, with details to be finalized by the Department of Energy later this year. Meanwhile, the federal response to grid congestion, transmission bottlenecks, and supply constraints is increasingly leaning on fossil fuels—an ironic twist in the energy transition.

Yet amid these challenges, a powerful and underutilized solution is hiding in plain sight: the rooftops of America’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and nonprofits. These buildings hold enormous untapped potential to decarbonize the grid, increase resilience, and generate long-term local benefits.

Even better, using power purchase agreements (PPAs) allows these businesses and organizations to receive solar with no upfront costs, freeing up capital for their businesses or non-profit work, while fixing an energy rate for a 20+ year term.

So far, the solar boom has focused on residential and utility-scale markets. Selling directly to homeowners or developing massive solar farms has made the headlines. But that’s changing. OBBBA is set to phase out residential tax credits after 2025, and utility-scale projects now face major uncertainty because of the 2027 placed-in-service deadlines.

As momentum shifts, SME (150 kW–5 MW) commercial and industrial (C&I) solar can finally take center stage.

Big Opportunities in Small and Medium-Sized C&I Solar

Real estate investment trusts, property owners, and financiers who have been waiting for the right moment—this is it. Companies like Sunrock Distributed Generation (Sunrock DG) are stepping in to serve SMEs and non-profit groups that historically couldn’t access PPAs or solar leases due to credit, size, or risk constraints. Here’s why this moment
is different:

1. Smarter Underwriting. Sunrock has developed proprietary underwriting tools that evaluate whether a customer will reliably pay a long-term fixed energy bill. That gives us confidence to support projects that were previously deemed “too risky” or “too small.”
2. Clarity on Tax Credits = faster speed to market. The U.S. Government has now set clear timelines for the ITC phase-out (2027, unless you begin construction or safe harbor before July 2026). The ambiguity around “foreign entity of concern” (FEOC) and safe harboring rules is resolving. The message is clear: now is the time to secure rooftops, queue for interconnection, and move quickly. As the market settles, capital will adapt. EPCs will sharpen their pencils, financiers will compress margins, and we’ll all benefit from reduced regulatory uncertainty.
3. Speed and Cost Advantage. Solar remains the fastest and most cost-effective generation resource to deploy, as shown year after year in Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy2 reports. When brownouts and blackouts hit—and they will—solar will be able to respond far more quickly than natural gas or nuclear projects, which face long permitting and construction timelines. Utilities need fast solutions, and C&I solar delivers.
4. Solar + Storage = Grid Value and Resiliency. One of the biggest winners in the OBBBA is energy storage, which will benefit from the full ITC until 2032. Sunrock DG’s ability to finance solar + storage PPAs and leases eliminates
   the concern of solar intermittency.
5. Storage enhances resilience and helps solve congestion challenges—something grid operators are desperate for, as highlighted in the NERC 2025 State of Reliability Report.3 Adding capacity (from solar+storage) in Texas, for example, reduced rolling blackouts from 12% to 0.3% so far this summer, according to the state’s grid operator, ERCOT.4
6. Utility rates are going sky high! No way around it—want to lock in a fixed rate? Sign a PPA while you increase your property value with solar on
   your roof.

Conclusion: Time to Double Down

C&I solar isn’t just a compelling decarbonization strategy—it’s a business opportunity whose moment has arrived. With strong policy tailwinds, better financing tools, and maturing market conditions, the rooftops of America’s commercial sector may well be the keystone to accelerating our clean energy future.

Let’s stop overlooking them.

About the Author
Claire Broido Johnson is the President of Sunrock Distributed Generation and a veteran climate tech entrepreneur. A SunEdison Co-Founder and former DOE Advisor, she has 30 years of experience scaling solar and clean energy platforms, driving innovation in project finance, and expanding access to distributed energy for diverse organizations.

Sources

1. https://tinyurl.ee/iDCCR
2. https://tinyurl.ee/SXBsX
3. https://tinyurl.ee/rNJur
4. https://tinyurl.ee/Kybro

A Hard Reset for Clean Energy

The mood in solar has shifted. We’re no longer celebrating the surge of the Inflation Reduction Act; we’re managing the fallout of accelerated timelines, policy reversals, and mounting delays.1 Developers are racing against the clock. Projects are being held up by permitting bottlenecks and interconnection queues wrapped in red tape.

In such an environment, it makes sense to narrow your focus: land the project, meet your deadlines, and keep your team afloat. Most days, circularity isn’t on anyone’s radar. And that’s completely understandable.

But this is precisely the moment when we need to start thinking long-term.

We talk about the end of life in solar using words like “stranded,” “orphaned,” and “recovery.” As SEIA President Abby Hopper recently pointed out: “What’s up with all this traumatic language we use to describe solar near the end of its lifecycle?”

Instead, she writes, “we need to start now—investing in the infrastructure, standardized processes, and networks that will mean solar truly becomes the regenerative energy source we know it can be.”2

That’s the heart of circularity. It’s the commitment to build systems that keep materials in use—by design. It means planning ahead so panels can be repaired, reused, or recycled efficiently, without depending on last-minute decisions or landfill defaults. Circularity isn’t a single action. It’s an approach to building solar projects with their full life cycle in mind, from the first permit to final pickup.

The scale of what’s coming is hard to ignore. By 2030, the U.S. could see as many as 3 million tons of solar panels reach the end of life. By 2050, that number could top 160 million tons,3 enough to wrap around the Earth about 600 times. This represents a significant waste challenge and a $10 billion opportunity in recovered value.4

And it’s already underway. Panels are starting to come offline. If we don’t act now, before volumes spike, and before bad habits take root, we risk losing the trust this industry has worked so hard to earn.

It starts with data. Because you can’t reuse or recycle what you can’t find. And you can’t plan for the future if you don’t know what’s already in the field.

Waste Isn’t the Enemy—Misinformation Is

The conversation about solar waste is all over the map. Opponents use it as ammunition. Developers dread the permitting hurdles. Even climate advocates tiptoe around it, unsure whether talking about waste undermines the clean energy message.

The data shows that solar waste is orders of magnitude smaller than the waste we’ve accepted for centuries from fossil fuels.5 According to NREL and multiple independent analyses, the mass of solar panel waste per megawatt-hour is hundreds of times smaller3 than the waste from coal or gas. And unlike coal ash or oil sludge, most of it is inert—glass, aluminum, silicon.

So why does the toxicity myth persist?

Because the public is still operating on outdated assumptions revolving around fear. According to the latest research from NREL, over 97% of PV modules on the market today are either crystalline silicon or cadmium telluride, with trace levels of lead or cadmium far below regulatory concern.3

The projected waste from PV modules (shown in blue on the right) is far outweighed by other types of waste. © Heather Mirletz, Silvana Ovaitt, Taylor Curtis, and Teresa Barnes, NREL, and Henry Hieslmair, DNV3

The Missed Opportunity: We Built a Grid Without a Map

Encouraging progress is emerging in the solar end of life (EOL) space. Engie’s “precycling” agreement with Solarcycle6 integrates recycling directly into the original power purchase agreement for over a million panels across four utility-scale sites. Comstock Metals7 has partnered with Virtus Renewables to offer full-service, zero-landfill decommissioning for developers.

EDP Renewables recently launched its Close the Loop program, a 360-degree sustainability initiative aimed at recovering 90% of waste from its global renewable energy assets by 2030.8 These initiatives are a step in the right direction. They show that the market is starting to respond, and that circularity is shifting from buzzword to blueprint.

But most of these arrangements are private, bilateral deals, and primarily structured for utility-scale projects. We haven’t seen their actual contracts, and we don’t know how they’ll perform over the full life of a 20-30 year solar project. If one party exits the industry, or changes strategy, it’s unclear who holds long-term responsibility for the panels. And even when these partnerships work exactly as planned, they represent just a fraction of the total material volume moving through the solar supply chain.

This patchwork approach makes sense in a competitive, capitalist market. But without a coordinated, industry-wide infrastructure, millions of panels will continue to fall through the cracks, particularly in the residential and commercial sectors, where there’s no clear ownership pathway after 10 or 15 years.

We need more than isolated success stories. We need a shared, transparent system; a digital map of what’s installed, where, and by whom. One that links manufacturer data to asset owners and EOL partners, enabling small-scale projects to benefit from the same circular logic as larger ones.

Currently, we’re trying to build a sustainable grid without a shared compass. And even the best intentions can’t scale without infrastructure to support them.

The Rising Tide of Regulation and the Need for Shared Infrastructure

In addition to developers and recyclers, PV manufacturers are now being asked to step up to manage waste.

More than 13 states are working on, or have already passed, regulations mandating responsible disposal for retired solar panels. © Heather Mirletz

Across the U.S., states are introducing legislation9 that holds PV manufacturers accountable for EOL recovery. Washington State was the first to enact a mandatory takeback law10. Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Hawaii, and several other states are now following suit.11, 12, 13, 14 The intent is consistent: ensure that panels don’t wind up in landfills or roadside ditches.

However, while the laws share a similar spirit, each one differs slightly in design. Without coordination, this creates a fragmented compliance landscape that’s nearly impossible to manage, especially for manufacturers selling panels across multiple states.

And it’s not only manufacturers who need help. The agencies responsible for enforcing these laws are also operating in the dark. Most lack the technical systems or staff capacity to monitor recycling rates, verify responsible parties, or trace panels through multiple ownership transfers. This is where a national system could be transformative.

By sharing data across jurisdictions, while respecting privacy and commercial boundaries, we can build a unified foundation that supports compliance, enforcement, and policy alignment. It would reduce duplication of effort, support interstate logistics, and lower costs for everyone involved.

Because ultimately, it’s about adding more laws and building a system that makes the laws work.

Building the Circular Nervous System

If solar is the skeleton of the clean energy economy, then data is its nervous system. It’s what allows the industry to sense, respond, adapt, and heal.

In the context of EOL solar, that means tracking, not just for tracking’s sake, but to unlock entirely new forms of value and coordination. Imagine a system where every panel installed is assigned a digital identity, including its make, model, wattage, date of manufacture, and location. This information lives in a secure, shared database. As panels change hands, their records update. When performance drops or decommissioning is planned, the system flags it. Owners are notified of drop-off locations. Reuse projects scan inventory and match panels with schools or nonprofits in need. Recyclers know what’s coming months in advance.

Manufacturers gain visibility into where their products end up and what happens to them. This supports not only compliance with state laws, but internal reporting, brand trust, and closed-loop material sourcing. Regulators gain the ability to verify stewardship plan claims with actual weights, photos, and route logs, rather than relying on a mismatch of PDF uploads, handwritten form responses, and spreadsheets.

None of this is hypothetical. We already have the technology. QR codes. Blockchain. GPS. Public-private APIs. What’s missing is the connective layer that binds it all together: a national, manufacturer-agnostic, and recycler-agnostic system that tracks solar assets throughout their lifecycle.

We don’t need to mandate a single solution. We need to standardize the architecture so that different tools can speak the same language. That way, startups, states, recyclers, and manufacturers can plug in and still see the same map.

In practice, this doesn’t just help recyclers. It helps reduce shipping costs, minimize emissions, and ensure that second-life panels go where they’re needed most. It transforms circularity from an environmental checkbox into a real-time operational advantage.

Electra is designed to manage the data tracking, collection, and reverse logistics of retired solar panels, routing them for reuse and recycling. © Heather Mirletz

It Has to Be Easier Than the Landfill

Technology alone won’t solve this. Systems don’t work unless people use them.

And when it comes to waste, convenience is king. One study found that 66% of Americans15 would rather throw a product away than recycle it if the recycling option isn’t easy or obvious. We can’t guilt people into doing the right thing; we have to make it the default.

For solar, this means designing systems that offer real benefits before the panels reach the end of their life. Registration should be seamless, ideally, part of the installation process. But beyond that, what if registering your panels gave you access to discounts on other clean energy upgrades, or rewards for participating in reuse or repair programs?

What if panel owners received real-time solar irradiance and weather forecasts tailored to their specific installation, helping them optimize performance and plan maintenance? What if we could offer insights based on the exact make, model, and local conditions of their system, such as when degradation is likely to start, or how their output compares to similar systems nearby?

These are not hypothetical. They’re achievable with data we already collect, or could collect, with minimal friction.

More importantly, these incentives turn registration into more than a compliance checkbox. They become a gateway to deeper engagement with clean energy. For local governments, utilities, and energy aggregators, this opens new opportunities to build trust, encourage stewardship, and reach underserved users.

We often assume because solar systems are high-tech, the solutions have to be complex. But the opposite is usually true. When we design for the edge case—the rural owner with no installer record, the landlord who inherited a leased system, the decommissioned school project—we create robustness that benefits the entire chain.

In the race to deploy clean energy, we optimized for speed and scale. Now we need to optimize for return and recovery. That starts by making the responsible thing easier, smarter, and more rewarding than doing nothing at all.

Because circularity doesn’t fail when systems break. It fails when people opt out.

A New Kind of Grid Integrity

When we talk about grid integrity, we usually mean uptime, reliability, and energy security. But what about material security? What about the traceability of assets, the resilience of our supply chains, and the ability to respond to change, not just at the circuit level, but at the system level? For circularity to become mainstream, we must first establish data collection and visibility.

To secure the solar economy in the long term, we need more than just panels on rooftops and in the field. We need intelligence embedded across the value chain—systems that track products across their lifecycle, verify claims, reduce logistical friction, and enable recovery without reinventing the wheel every time.

This is where a platform like Electra comes in, as a real-world attempt to address these challenges holistically. Electra is being designed as a national Solar Panel RegistryTM and Product Stewardship Network.TM Its goal is to:

• Track every panel from installation through reuse or recycling
• Digitally manage takeback fees, reverse logistics, and compliance
• Provide real-time reports to manufacturers, recyclers, and regulators
• Offer meaningful insights and benefits to panel owners throughout the panel’s life

By remaining manufacturer-agnostic and recycler-neutral, the system is designed to bridge fragmented state policies and support a circular supply chain that works across brands, geographies, and use cases.

Industry alignment is beginning to take shape. Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) recently released Circular Economy Roadmap for the Solar Industry outlines a multi-stakeholder framework for managing solar materials throughout their lifecycle, from design to deployment to EOL.16 It reinforces the idea that circularity can be both environmentally responsible and economically viable. What we need now are real systems that bring this vision to life on the ground. Electra’s registry is one example of how to do that.

This kind of infrastructure helps us prepare for future waste and strengthens our position in the global clean energy economy. It enables domestic manufacturers to recover high-value materials. It gives state agencies the tools to enforce policies effectively. It lowers barriers for small installers and community-scale projects. And it improves confidence in solar, not just as a clean energy source, but as a clean system.

For developers and distributors, this kind of infrastructure means simpler permitting, easier compliance reporting, and stronger long-term customer relationships. It’s a value-add that drives competitiveness, too.

Circularity is grid integrity. And data is the conduit that makes it all work.

Let’s Finish What We Started

Solar remains the best shot we’ve got at a livable, equitable future. But we can’t afford to build that future on half-finished systems.

We’ve done the hard work of scaling this industry, overcoming skepticism, improving affordability, surviving trade battles, and proving that clean energy can compete on its own terms. Now it’s time to build the scaffolding that makes that growth sustainable. That means planning for the end from the very beginning.

A circular solar economy won’t happen through one-off contracts or siloed legislation. It will take shared infrastructure. Shared language. Shared data.

We’re not starting from scratch. We have working models. We have motivated stakeholders. We have promising policies and active pilot projects. What we need now is alignment, a coordinated effort to integrate fragmented efforts into a functional, interoperable system.

If we do it right, we’ll do so much more than eliminate waste. We reduce emissions. We strengthen domestic supply chains. We create jobs. We build trust.

And we tell a new story about clean energy, one where integrity is measured not just in megawatts, but in what happens after the panels stop producing.

Circularity is about finishing what we started.

About the Author
Heather Alvis is the founder of Electra, a solar circularity startup, and an American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Accelerate fellow. She is a member of the American Solar Energy Society and a finalist in the DOE’s Solar Prize competition, and a semi-finalist in the Re-X Before Recycling Prize.

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