Strong, sustainable and resilient recovery: the evidence and a pathway to action

The government’s recent White Paper, Planning for the Future, sets out the most substantial reform to the planning system in decades. However, the White Paper lacks detail on how the government intends to deliver the urgent step change in sustainability that is required to fundamentally address…

Solar is already in the vanguard of the energy transition, and can similarly lead the world’s transition to a circular economy. Decommissioned PV modules could total 1 million tons of waste in the U.S. by 2030. Yet there are virtually no incentives or regulations to promote its recycling or reuse. In fact, says NREL, most current regulations in the U.S. define it as solid waste, making it difficult to introduce it to a recycling value chain. In some instances the waste, defined as hazardous, is prohibited from reuse. Incentives are so poor that companies that do recover in bulk leave behind high-value materials such as silver, copper, and silicon. The main reason is that, at the national level, statutes or regulations that explicitly address PV module recycling simply don’t exist yet. Fortunately, state and industry models are being created.

The average unit costs a property $1,020 per unit in energy expenses—30% of which is due to inefficiency losses. The RealPage Sustainability Success Series will show you how you can recover these losses and generate even more in value per unit. This multi-part series of 20-minute episodes examines the top-trending sustainability issues impacting multifamily portfolios across the country.