The team at PVpallet has zeroed in on a huge problem: the solar industry typically ships solar panels on single-use wood pallets. These pallets are usually discarded in U.S. landfills, creating over 60 million pounds of wood waste in 2020 alone. As the solar industry continues to grow, the waste problem will grow along with it. 

The waste problem extends beyond material waste to include damaged solar modules, transportation costs, and unnecessary expenditures of time and labor. PVpallet aims to revolutionize the solar industry with its fully recyclable, reusable, and collapsible pallet system specifically designed for shipping solar panels. We believe our industry and our planet deserve better—and we’re here to make a change.

Why does an industry built on sustainability create so much waste?

While performing rural solar PV installations in Northern Missouri, Luke Phelps and his team quickly realized the amount of waste, lost time, and expense associated with the way solar panels were shipped to installation sites--on single-use wood pallets. Luke saw his warehouses overrun with partial pallet loads, his shipments arriving on site with broken panels, his installers dealing with stacks of panels falling over once the banding was removed and, most notably, the expense and rampant waste of procuring dumpsters to offload the immense amount of disposed wood pallets at the end of every job. 

Luke knew there had to be a better solution.

Inspired by the reusable bins for shipping seed to farm sites, Phelps and Steven Kottwitz designed the initial concept for PVpallet in 2019 with several goals in mind:

Minimize waste by using material that could be recycled into new PVpallets

Reduce solar panel breakage

Stack several pallets without putting weight on the solar panels themselves

Knowing the right team is essential to success, Phelps shared the concept with Philip Schwarz and Ethan Wollbrink, establishing the core foundation of PVpallet, Inc. This team of co-founders has a combined 35 years of experience in the solar industry, enabling them to clearly see gaps in the supply chain that a better shipping solution could solve.

PVpallet is in the pre-revenue stage of development. Currently, we are undergoing testing and making final modifications to the injection molds. Full production is expected to begin in Q1 2022. PVpallet holds two provisional US patent filings, one non-provisional utility US patent filing, and one PTC filing for international IP protection.

*Image is a computer generated demo version.

The U.S. solar industry’s use of single-use wood pallets for shipping solar panels to project sites is estimated to have created over 60,000,000 pounds of domestic wood waste in 2020 alone. The global solar industry waste is estimated at 10 or more times that amount. What’s more, based on our research, an average of two to five percent of solar panels arrive damaged and unusable. This damage is due to lack of protection during shipping.

And the problem extends beyond waste. Wood pallets are not easy to use. The lack of structural support means pallets can only be stacked two high, resulting in limitations on the warehouse space available for storage. Partial load shipments and module offloading are also difficult to manage. Once the bands around the panels are cut, they can no longer be moved by forklift. This makes partial loads labor intensive and inefficient. Then there's the cost. Wood pallets for solar modules are custom made. At an average cost of $80 per pallet, the solar industry spent more than $126,000,000 on single use wood pallets last year alone*. Simply put, the status quo for shipping solar panels is not sustainable.

PVpallet is a purpose-built shipping solution to not only replace, but improve upon the status quo of single-use wood pallets. PVpallets are made of post-consumer HDPE plastics. Common household items like milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles are ground and fed directly into the injection mold machine. 

According to our calculations, PVpallets can be reused at least 20 times. They are designed to be returned at a 5:1 ratio for reuse. For every 5 truckloads of solar panels sent to a project site, only one truck needs to return with empty pallets. Once a PVpallet has finished its life cycle, it will be returned to the manufacturing plant, sent through plastic grinders, and placed back into the injection mold hopper to be made into a new PVpallet. 

Beyond providing a sustainable solution, PVpallet also improves efficiencies and reduces costs throughout the entire solar supply chain. Sliding locks and tabs support partial loads and the adjustable sidewalls accommodate for various module sizes while protecting loads in transit. PVpallets are also stackable up to four high, reducing warehouse storage by as much as 50%.

*Video is a computer generated demo version.

PVpallet Quick Stats: 

• Reusable, recyclable, and stackable.
• Built with side walls and cross braces for added protection.
• Made from fully recyclable Type 2 HDPE. 
• Designed to securely hold 2 to 27 solar panels. 
• Built with removable side walls and locking trackbar for improved handling and return shipping.  

The Global Solar Power Market Size was estimated at USD 170.55 billion in 2020. That is equivalent to over 115 gigawatts of capacity (about 9.5 million pallets of solar panels). While global solar market values vary from source to source, all anticipate a consistent upward trajectory--ranging from from 6.9% to 20%. The market is anticipated to reach upwards of $293.18 billion by 2028. 

The growth of the US Solar Power Market is even more aggressive. Despite the pandemic, installations reached 19.2 gigawatts of new capacity in 2020, a 43% year over year growth. According to our calculations, installing that much capacity would require 1.5 million pallets. What's more, installations are expected to quadruple from current levels in the next decade. 

The PVpallet team is ready to disrupt the solar shipping industry with a unique shipping solution that will become an asset to solar companies—not a landfill-bound liability. We have already begun receiving investments from major sources, including the U.S. DOE SETO program’s grant of $500K and $1M in VC funding from ISA Ventures. 

The need for an alternative to traditional wood pallets as a shipping method for solar panels is recognized throughout the solar supply chain. We are currently being approached by several major solar module manufacturers, distributors, installers, and solar recycling companies for our unique solution.

We are being sought out by several major solar module manufactures, distributors, shipping, and Installation, solar recycling companies for our unique solution. All levels of handling solar modules are seeing the need for this system

Our Timeline:

• Q3 2021: Injection molds fabricated by MSI Mold Builders
• Q3 2021: The first PVpallets scheduled for limited production run of 150 units
• Q4 2021: Limited production PVpallets undergo testing and final modifications
• Q1 2022: Full-scale PVpallet production scheduled to begin
• 2022-2023: PVpallet lease model projected to launch, making PVpallets available as an on-demand service

*The above information includes anticipated timelines and goals.

The growth potential for PVpallet is immense. Our lease model will open us up to the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world. We plan to capture at least 25% of the U.S. solar market and 5% of the global solar market within the first 5 years. Within the next 3-5 year timeframe, we plan to expand our product to other industries. Our PVpallet design can easily be transferable to shipping outdoor power equipment, doors and windows, flat screen TVs, and other large format, fragile products.

Offsetting waste generated from wood pallets is just the beginning. As a 1% for the Planet Business Member, we aim to work with organizations that directly offset the environmental impact from wood pallets and help the reusable pallet material supply chain.

Bottom line: we want to make a sustainable difference. Will you join us?

We invite you to invest in the future of the industry and help us make clean energy more sustainable and economical.