NSW to formulate national solar panel recycling scheme

Australia’s solar panel waste volumes are expected to nearly double over the next five years.

New South Wales has fuelled efforts towards a national product stewardship scheme for solar panels, ensuring they are managed from start to end of life.

According to the government, a paper has been presented at recent meeting of the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council in Sydney. This is pushing for a nationally mandated scheme to prevent solar panels from ending up in landfill, instead directing them towards remanufacture or recycling.

NSW is already developing a mandated stewardship program for batteries.

Solar panel waste volumes in Australia are predicted to reach 91,165 tonnes in 2030 from 59,340 tonnes in 2025.

“More than 95% of a solar panel is recyclable and contains valuable materials, including aluminium, glass, copper, silver and silicon, which can be beneficially recovered and reused,” the government said.

The Smart Energy Council estimates that around one-third of solar panels could be reused instead of being thrown away. This could contribute up to 24 gigawatts of energy by 2040, enough to power six million homes a year.

Authorities have agreed that NSW will lead preliminary work, together with other jurisdictions, in drawing up a Regulatory Impact Statement. The draft will help the government evaluate options for a national mandatory product stewardship scheme that could catalyse a national recycling and reuse sector for solar panels and their batteries.

The Commonwealth is also supporting low-cost recycling technologies for solar PV through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.