Solar Developer Details Sustainability Efforts
(photo courtesy of Inovateus Solar)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA South Bend-based solar developer is looking to boost its sustainability efforts over the next decade. Inovateus Solar recently released its inaugural sustainability report, which not only outlines its 2019 sustainability efforts but also sets new goals for developing solar projects with zero-waste construction and sustainable end-of-life-cycle decommissioning. The company has developed more than 400 megawatts worth of solar projects throughout the Midwest since 2008.
Tyler Kanczuzewski, vice president of marketing and sustainability for Inovateus Solar, says the report was part of an effort to launch the company’s environmental stewardship team.
“The big goal for the stewardship team is to strengthen our sustainability initiatives and to basically formalize a master sustainability plan, which lays out goals and objectives to hit and works on the messaging of our vision and our mission moving into the future,” said Kanczuzewski. “We want to really make sure it’s communicated throughout our organization and also communicated with our suppliers, our vendors and most importantly, our customers.”
Inovateus says the standard way of looking at solar development could still cause negative environmental impacts during construction and during the project’s 25-year lifetime.
As part of the sustainability effort, the company has developed a plan for its operations to be 100% carbon neutral by 2025. The company says it has already upgraded its headquarters with a solar array, two electric vehicle chargers, smart LED lighting and a smart thermostat, which can reduce more than 34 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The company expects to achieve Energy Star certification for the facility by the end of the year.
Kanczuzewski says one of the company’s main initiatives detailed in the report revolves around end-of-life cycle and decommissioning of solar arrays.
“We’re being proactive to form relationships with manufacturers that will help you with returning and collecting end-of-life equipment and recycle that for their own manufacturing or just the most environmentally friendly ways to dispose of (the equipment). There are quite a few recycling companies that are going to help, and they’ll actually collect panels from the site and break down the materials so they can recycle certain materials.”
The company also plans to obtain a green purchasing procurement certification in 2020, which will help achieve the goal of designing solar projects with higher-efficiency solar panels, trackers and inverters to maximize solar generation and land usage. Inovateus has also set a goal of achieving zero construction waste for at least half of its 2020 projects.
Additionally, Inovateus is now offering the option of planting bee-pollinator grass under solar arrays, which will allow project owners to help maintain natural bee habitats by eliminating the pesticides that are usually sprayed on land used for solar projects.
“It’s great for solar companies to be helping the world transition to renewable energy, but it’s two steps forward and one step back if our work harms the environment,” said Kanczuzewski. “We can’t accomplish this alone, so we’re cultivating a network of sustainable habits among ourselves, our community, our customers, and with all of our vendors and partners. By working together, we’ll continue our founders’ mission of ‘building a brilliant tomorrow’ for the Midwest and the world.”
You can view the full report by clicking here.
Kanczuzewski says the report was part of an effort to launch the company’s environmental stewardship team.
Kanczuzewski outlines some of the company’s goals for the next 10-15 years.