Call to fast-track solar recycling as panel waste problem piles up

Rachel Williamson 18 October 2022

Australia will be throwing out 10,000 tonnes of rooftop PV solar panels a year by 2025, yet recycling options remain limited.

That figure is set to rise to anywhere between 30,000 tonnes and a whopping 145,000 tonnes by 2030 when utility-scale solar farms, where panels have a longer life span, begin to replace their equipment, suggest International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) data.

However, moves are afoot to deal with the problem, says UNSW research fellow Dr Rong Deng.

“Local waste recycling industries and governments have started taking collaborative and technology-driven approaches to deal with it sustainably,” he says.

Deng is one of the authors on a report into global PV recycling, which found Australia has no mandated PV panel recycling capacity or schemes, such as those in Europe, which force producers to have take-back and recycling schemes for panels.

Only Victoria has a policy that relates to PV waste, a law that forbids e-waste from being sent to landfill.

Looks like Australian politicians are slowly moving forward but more involvement is necessary.