Puerto Rico Energy Forum December 2025 - Waste, Energy, and Recycling in Puerto Rico скачать в хорошем качестве

Puerto Rico Energy Forum December 2025 - Waste, Energy, and Recycling in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is facing a growing waste management crisis—and solar panels may be the next major challenge. In this Puerto Rico Energy Forum episode, we speak with Tomás Rivera (Veolia) about the realities of regulated waste management in Puerto Rico, including why the island exports a large share of certain waste streams, the limited end-of-life options currently available for solar panels, and what it would take to build a more functional circular economy locally. We cover: Puerto Rico’s disposal bottlenecks and why “export” is often the default option Solar panel recycling: current limitations, refurbishing, landfill/incineration realities, and what’s coming Why recycling economics are hard: facilities, energy intensity, feedstock, and scale Policy and politics: how “political winds” and permitting shape infrastructure outcomes Municipal recycling programs: what’s missing and what could work at scale Waste-to-energy vs. gasification / waste conversion as “firm power” options A pathway forward: segregation, regionalization, and realistic incentives