Carlisle Energy Services, which has spearheaded solar energy-generating exposed covers on landfill cells in the United States, announced in an August 30 letter to clients and industry partners that it was stepping out of the solar landfill market. The technology, which Carlisle Energy Services had promoted with Republic Services, has garnered very favorable coverage and generated interest among landfill owners and regulators, but the market is not currently scaled properly to make it more competitive. (The thin film photovoltaic cell market, for example, has almost no competition.) The energy field in general requires great scale to be sustainable. It’s unfortunate to see Carlisle exit the market, but we should recognize the importance of the installations the company has helped “bring to light.” They have demonstrated very forward thinking in the waste management industry. Exposed cap technology will continue to evolve, of course. And it’s reasonable to believe that exposed caps and the energy industry may again pair up.
– Geosynthetica

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR