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Only a small percentage of Australia\u2019s decommissioned solar panels are being recycled. This isn\u2019t through a lack of know-how, but a failure to act by successive governments according to a joint statement signed by dozens of groups. <\/p>\n
Call For Government Action On Solar PV Waste<\/p>\n
Led by the Smart Energy Council, a coalition of dozens of industry, business, union, community and environmental groups and local governments is calling on the Federal Government to establish a mandatory product stewardship scheme for solar panels during this parliamentary term. The Federal Government is also being urged to implement a funded pilot program in the interim that would inform scheme design and attract investment to ensure its success.<\/p>\n
The joint statement claims<\/a> it\u2019s a $6.5 billion opportunity that could boost critical mineral resource security, spark innovation, new local industries, manufacturing and jobs.<\/p>\n Progress (Or Lack Thereof) To Date<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s solar revolution has been nothing short of stunning. Millions of solar panels adorn rooftops throughout the country, not to mention the millions more installed at solar farms.<\/p>\n Good quality solar panels<\/a> should last for decades, and they\u2019ve been proven to in real-world conditions<\/a>. Unfortunately not all solar panels are of good quality, and the service lives of many panels are being ended prematurely through system upgrades.<\/p>\n In 2021, then-Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, put the solar industry on notice<\/a> that an industry-led nationwide stewardship scheme design must be finalised by June 2022. At the time, the Clean Energy Council (CEC)1<\/a> pushed back, stating it had worked to develop a comprehensive, nationwide plan over the previous twelve months, but the Federal Government had \u201cwalked away\u201d from the partnership.<\/p>\n In the years since, there have been various proposals and opinions expressed by government departments. For example, this year the Productivity Commission signalled its support for establishing a co-regulatory product stewardship scheme for solar PV.<\/p>\n But still, no scheme.<\/p>\n \u201cTime is up, and Australia\u2019s renewable energy sector stands ready to act,\u201d says the statement. \u201cThis is a resource solution, rather than a waste problem.\u201d<\/p>\n What Materials Can Be Reclaimed From Solar Panels?<\/p>\n Just about everything:<\/p>\n Glass The aluminium frame and glass alone represent a major proportion of a solar panel\u2019s weight \u2014 around 85%. But recovery of all materials that can be reclaimed is still costly and energy-intensive; so it\u2019s mainly the glass and aluminium that get attention.<\/p>\n A Waste \u2018Crisis\u2019<\/p>\n While technology capable of 95%+ material recovery exists in Australia and several recycling\/reclamation facilities have been established<\/a>, another issue is logistics. The cost of transporting panels to a recycling facility can be greater than that of sending them to a local landfill. And even that undesirable outcome is no longer an option in some jurisdictions due to e-waste crackdowns.<\/p>\n To this point, the bulk of decommissioned modules have headed overseas for reuse in other countries, but current super-low prices for new solar panels<\/a> is seeing that demand impacted.<\/p>\n According to the Smart Energy Council, installers and households are being forced into stockpiling panels, and illegal dumping incidents in regional and rural areas are increasing.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is an escalating solar PV panel waste crisis looming, with serious environmental and social impacts set to follow,\u201d says the statement. \u201cPanel decommissionings are set to double, and a recycling industry that has invested heavily on the promise of a national product stewardship scheme will stagnate and decline, with associated job losses, after a decade of policy inaction.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in 2019, SolarQuotes\u2019 resident fact-checker Ronald Brakels said there was no waste crisis<\/a> on the horizon. Still, our habit of sweeping crap under the rug (landfill) isn\u2019t the best way to deal with most forms of waste; and illegal dumping is abhorrent \u2014 not just in terms of environmental and aesthetic issues, but the clean-up cost.<\/p>\n So, the focus should be making solar panel recycling\/materials reclamation as efficient and cost-effective as possible. And on that note, how does a container deposit- type scheme<\/a> sound?<\/p>\n Footnotes<\/p>\n
\nAluminium
\nSilicon
\nCopper
\nSilver<\/a>
\nJunction\/terminal box materials
\nCables
\nEven the ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA<\/a>) encapsulant.<\/p>\n