Solar Facts vs Fiction: Materials, Energy, Toxicity & Waste

Solar deployment is expanding rapidly across the U.S., and solar module technology has evolved rapidly in the last decade. Solar module researchers from the National Lab of the Rockies (formerly NREL) will discuss recent changes to PV module composition, end-of-life options, and bust common misconceptions. Silvana Ovaitt and Heather Mirletz will offer you a shiny new understanding of the materials and energy costs to manufacture them and present the current state of solar module sustainability. Bring your questions! Please plan to stay for a reception with food, drinks, and conversations after the main presentation. This event is free. Join in person or tune in online via the livestream link:

https://boxcast.tv/.../solar-facts-vs-fiction-materials...

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Silvana Ovaitt & Heather Mirletz

Silvana Ovaitt, Ph.D., is a research scientist at the U.S. National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), specializing in photovoltaic reliability, field performance, and sustainability. Her work spans bifacial PV, agrivoltaics, degradation, repowering, and circularity. She leads the HOPE program and contributes to the global PV community through workshops and international collaboration.

Heather Mirletz, Ph.D., is a researcher at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), quantifying circularity and sustainability of PV and its supply chains. Her work examines end-of-life management, technoeconomic analysis, and PV system supply chains, and contributes to model development of the PV ICE tool. She received her undergraduate and master's degrees from CWRU and her PhD from Colorado School of Mines

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