ABOUT
As of 2017 there were 1.3 million homes with solar panel installations in the US. Sounds great, right? But what really happens in the life cycle of these solar panels?
At the beginning of an average solar panel's life, it will achieve roughly 22% efficiency in energy production. As the solar panel ages, however, its percent efficiency decreases by roughly 0.8% a year. After about 30 years, these solar panels no longer function at commercial capacity and are decommissioned. These decommissioned Solar Panels currently go through an extensive recycling process, or they are put into landfills. This process is energy intensive and creates hazardous waste.
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But what if there was a process that allowed solar panels to continue to create value?
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There is! It’s called upcycling, and it’s the core of Lightswitch’s triple bottom line business goal. In pursuing this, we have developed a custom panel management system, SolarCart, that allows for the storage and testing of solar panels with minimal energy and manpower expenditures. Once you determine the efficiency of your solar panels, you send us the information, and we take over from there.
We have created connections with people interested in purchasing used solar panels for a variety of reasons, including decreasing grid reliance or using it for trendy building materials. For a yearly subscription fee, you receive continued connection services for all your incoming solar panels. In return, you benefit from expedited sale of your solar panels and profits from purchase. For individual customers, we also offer you the opportunity to list your used panels on our Solar Marketplace, which connects you with buyers from across the country.
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The team at Lightswitch also offers tailored consulting at the touch of a button - whether you have one panel or 500, we are here to help!
Our Team
Sarah Callinan
Smith Pittman
Studying a double degree in engineering and business, Sarah is a fourth year student at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Her passion for humanitarian engineering has lead her to the role of president of the ACT state chapter of Engineers Without Borders. In this role, she organise engineering workshops and educational events for the community, and implements human-centred design in local and international projects. She also has experience in operations consulting and technical networks.
Smith Pittman is a sophomore at Arizona State University in Barrett Honors College. She is majoring in Environmental Engineering and minoring in Spanish language. She is fluent in Spanish and has spent two consecutive summers studying Spanish language, indigenous peoples, and agricultural developments in Ecuador and Argentina. She currently works at ASU EdPlus as a Math Coach. Her main interests are agricultural and waste management reform in developing countries, however she is also interested in sustainable energy development.
Ivy Chung
Solomon L. Myers
Ivy Chung is a second year student at Santa Clara University majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in sustainability. In school, she in involved on the IEEE board as the project lead, and is a LEAD scholar. She loves outdoor activities and is passionate about helping others, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. She has experience working as an industrial designer at a 3D designing and printing company, interning for companies in both engineering and business positions, and is currently working as a R&D intern at Elo Touch Solutions, the company that invented the touch-screen technology. Ivy would like to eventually use her technical skills towards sustainability.
Solomon is a hardworking and driven young man who is majoring in Philosophy, Business Information Systems & Real Estate. He has learned and grown through grass-root online store management. At the same as running online stores, he was maximizing his high school cost-free opportunity on a very wide range of breadth. He has participated in a TED talk, received awards for engineering design on state level, and worked for 34 college credits before becoming a college freshman. He is in the process of earning a certification from the Chartered Institute of Managements Accountants, and learning Swedish. He is currently a field consultant for the solar energy company PowerSolar Home, the leading solar energy company for 7 of the 48 mainland states.