PVpallet Numbers

Want to know where we get our numbers? Here’s a breakdown of our math as well as some of our primary sources.

 

Claim: Single use packaging cost the US solar industry more than $807M in 2023.

Baseline Numbers:

  • 32.4 GW (32,400 MW) of new capacity installed in the US in 2023 (SEIA)

  • 400 W-450 W average wattage per solar module (Energy Sage)

  • 30 modules per pallet (Sinovoltaics Group)

  • $200 average cost per solar module ($.50/watt)

  • $50 average wood pallet cost

  • $153 average cost of solar module ($.34/watt) (Nearby Engineers, NREL)

  • .86 truckloads per MW of BOS components (i.e. harnesses, ATI material, Cab, LBDS, etc.)

  • 28 stacks of 48x45 pallets per truckload (56 stacked 2 high) (Nelson)

  • 13 stacks of 48x90 pallets per truckload (26 stacked 2 high)

  • 75 pallets per dumpster load

  • $1500 per dumpster ($200) plus transit to landfill ($1300)

  • 3% average module breakage rate prior to installation

  • $11 for disposal/recycling costs (average of $2 in disposal fees or $20 in recycling fees per solar module)

The Math:

  • 1 MW / 400W average per solar module = 2500 modules per megawatt

  • 2500 modules / 30 modules per pallet = 83 pallets per megagatt

  • 32,400 MW x 2500 modules per mw = 81M solar modules

  • 32,400 MW x 83 pallets per megawatt = 2.7M pallets for solar modules

  • 2.7M pallets / 26 per truckload = 103,846 truckloads of solar modules

  • 32,400 MW x .86 truckloads = 27,869 truckloads of BOS components

  • 27,869 truckloads x 56 pallets = 1.5M pallets for BOS components

  • 2.7M solar panel pallets + 1.5M BOS component pallets = 4.2M pallets

  • 4.2M pallets x $50 per wood pallet = $210M wood pallet CAPEX

  • 4.2M pallets / 75 per dumpster = 56,000 truckloads of wood pallet waste

  • 56,000 truckloads x $1,500 per load to landfill = $84M wood pallet disposal costs

  • 3% breakage x 81M solar panels = 2.43M broken solar modules

  • 2.43M broken modules x $200 per module = $486M damaged modules

  • $11 disposal/recycling fees x 2.43 broken modules = $26.7M in broken module disposal/recycling fees

  • $210M wood pallets + $84M wood pallet disposal + $486M damaged modules + $26.7M solar module disposal = $806.7M in total single-use packaging costs

Claim: In 2023 alone, the Global Solar Industry used nearly 33 million pallets, which equates to 2.6 billion pounds of wood waste. At an average of 3% breakage prior to installation, nearly 30 million solar modules were broken in a single year.

Baseline Numbers:

  • 444 GW of solar installed in 2023 globally (PV Magazine)

  • 400 W-500 W average wattage per solar module (source)

  • 30 modules per pallet (Sinovoltaics Group)

  • 80 lb average weight per 48” x 90” pallet (freightquote.com)
    Based on the 40 lb average weight of a standard 48”x45” pallet

  • 4 standard pallets per log, 2 logs per tree = 8 standard pallets per tree (palletconsultants.com)

  • 2-7% modules broken in transit

The Math:

  • 444 GW / 450 W = 987,000,000 solar modules installed globally in 2023

  • 59,000,000 solar modules / 30 panels per pallet = 32,900,000 pallets used by the global solar industry

  • 32,900,000 pallets x 80 lb = 2,632,000,000 pounds of wood pallet waste

  • 32,900,000 pallets / 8 = 2,987,500 trees

  • 987,000,000 solar modules x 3% breakage = 29,620,000 broken solar modules each year

Claim: The solar industry creates 6,640 pounds of wood waste per megawatt installed.

Baseline Numbers:

  • 400 W-450 W average wattage per solar module (Energy Sage)

  • 30 modules per pallet (Sinovoltaics Group)

  • 80 lb average weight per 48” x 90” pallet (freightquote.com)
    Based on the 40 lb average weight of a standard 48”x45” pallet.

The Math:

  • 1 MW / 400W average per module = 2500 modules per megawatt

  • 2500 modules / 30 modules per pallet = 83 pallets per megagatt

  • 83 pallets x 80 pounds average pallet = 6,640 pounds per megawatt

Claim: In 2021 alone, the United States Solar Industry used nearly 2 million pallets, which equates to 157 million pounds of wood waste. Globally, 14 million pallets were used for solar modules, equalling 1.1 billion pounds of wood waste.

Baseline Numbers:

  • 23.6 GW of solar installed in 2021 in the United Staes (SEIA)

  • 168 GW of solar installed in 2021 globally (source)

  • 400 W-500 W average wattage per solar module (source)

  • 30 modules per pallet (Sinovoltaics Group)

  • 80 lb average weight per 48” x 90” pallet (freightquote.com)
    Based on the 40 lb average weight of a standard 48”x45” pallet

  • 4 standard pallets per log, 2 logs per tree = 8 standard pallets per tree (palletconsultants.com)

  • 2-7% modules broken in transit

The Math:

  • 23.6 GW / 400 W = 59,000,000 solar modules installed in 2021 in the United States

  • 59,000,000 solar modules / 30 panels per pallet = 1,966,667 pallets used by the domestic solar industry

  • 1,966,667 pallets x 80 lb = 157,333,360 pounds of wood pallet waste

  • 1,966,667 pallets / 8 = 245,833 trees

  • 168 GW / 400 W = 420,000,000 solar modules installed in 2021 globally

  • 420,000,000 solar modules / 30 modules per pallet = 14,000,000 pallets used by the global solar industry

  • 14,000,000 pallets x 80 lb = 1,120,000,000 pounds of wood pallet waste

  • 14,000,000 pallets / 8 = 1,750,000 trees

Claim: In 2020 alone, the United States Solar Industry used 1,580,000 pallets, which equated to 63,210,000 pounds of wood waste and 198,000 trees.

Baseline Numbers:

  • 19.2 GW of solar installed in 2020 in the United Staes (SEIA)

  • 138.2 GW of solar installed in 2020 globally (source)

  • 400 W-500 W average wattage per solar module (Energy Sage)

  • 30 modules per pallet (Sinovoltaics Group)

  • 40 lb average weight per 48” x 48” standard pallet (freightquote.com)
    Note that a pallet for solar modules would be closer to 80lb

  • 4 standard pallets per log, 2 logs per tree = 8 standard pallets per tree (palletconsultants.com)

The Math:

  • 19 GW / 400 W = 47,500,000 solar modules installed in 2020 in the United States

  • 47,500,000 solar modules / 30 panels per pallet = 1,583,333 pallets used by the domestic solar industry

  • 1,583,333 pallets x 40 lbs = 63,333,333 pounds of wood pallet waste

  • 1,583,333 pallets / 8 = 197,917 trees

  • 138.2 GW / 450 W = 307,111,111 solar modules installed in 2020 globally

  • 307,111,111 solar modules / 30 modules per pallet = 10,237,000 pallets used by the global solar industry

Claim: 78 million metric tons of solar panels will reach end-of-life by 2050—enough to cover more than 1,000,000 American football fields.

Baseline Numbers:

  • 78 Million metric tons of solar panels could reach end of life by 2050 (Harvard Business Review)

  • 20 kg average solar panel weight

  • 1.6 m x 0.9 m average solar panel size

  • 6,000 square meters average size of an American football field

The Math:

  • Weight in kilograms: 78,000,000 metric tons x 1000 = 78,000,000,000 kg

  • Number of Solar Panels: 78,000,000,000 kg/20 kg = 3,900,000,000 solar panels

  • Area covered: 3,900,000,000 * (1.6 m * 0.9 m) = 7,020,000,000 square meters of solar panels

  • Number of football fields: 7,020,000,000 sq m / 6,000 sq m = 1,170,000 football fields (approximately)

Claim: Each broken solar module costs a business $800.

Baseline Numbers:

  • $20-30 recycling fee per module (LA Times)

  • $200 replacement cost per module

  • $500 LTL freight to replace the module

  • $75 labor to ship new module (warehouse + admin)