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AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\nAFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
India gets plenty of sunlight throughout the year, which makes solar power highly efficient<\/p>\n
India’s rapid solar energy expansion is widely hailed as a success. But without a plan to manage the waste it will generate, how clean is the transition?<\/p>\n
In just over a decade, India has become the world’s third-largest solar producer, with renewables now central to its climate strategy. Solar panels are everywhere – from vast solar parks to blue rooftops across cities, towns and villages.<\/p>\n
Alongside large solar parks, millions of rooftop systems now feed power into the electricity grid. Government data show nearly 2.4 million households have adopted solar under a subsidy scheme.<\/p>\n
Solar growth has cut India’s reliance on coal. Though thermal and other non-renewables still supply over half of installed capacity, solar now contributes more than 20%. Yet the achievement carries a challenge: while clean in use, solar panels can pose environmental risks if not properly managed.<\/p>\n
Solar panels are mostly recyclable, made of glass, aluminium, silver, and polymers – but trace toxic metals like lead and cadmium can pollute soil and water if mishandled.<\/p>\n
Solar panels typically last about 25 years, after which they are removed and discarded. India currently has no dedicated budget for solar-waste recycling and only a few small facilities to process old panels.<\/p>\n
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Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Thermal power plants continue to dominate India’s energy generation capacity<\/p>\n
India has no official data on solar waste, but a study estimated around 100,000 tonnes by 2023, rising to 600,000 tonnes<\/a> by 2030. For now, the volume is small, but experts warn the bulk is yet to come – and without rapid recycling investment, India could face a growing waste crisis.<\/p>\n A new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) estimates that India could generate more than 11 million tonnes of solar waste<\/a> by 2047. Managing this would require almost 300 dedicated recycling facilities and an investment of $478 (\u00a3362m) over the next two decades.<\/p>\n “Most of India’s large solar parks were built in the mid-2010s, so the real wave of waste is coming in 10 to 15 years,” says Rohit Pahwa of energy company Targray.<\/p>\n India’s solar-waste projections mirror global patterns: the US<\/a> may generate 170,000\u20131 million tonnes and China nearly one million tonnes by 2030, following rapid solar expansion in the 2010s.<\/p>\n The policy landscape, however, differs significantly.<\/p>\n In the US, solar-panel recycling is mostly market-driven under a patchwork of state rules. China’s system, like India’s, is still developing and lacks a dedicated regulatory framework.<\/p>\n In 2022, India brought solar panels under e-waste rules, making manufacturers responsible for collecting, storing, dismantling and recycling them at end of life.<\/p>\n Experts say enforcement is uneven, especially for home and small-scale panels, which make up 5\u201310% of installations. Though modest, these panels can still generate substantial waste, as they are harder to track, collect, and recycle.<\/p>\n Damaged or discarded panels often end up in landfills or with unauthorised recyclers, where unsafe methods can release toxic materials. The BBC has contacted India’s renewable energy ministry for comment.<\/p>\n Damaged and ageing rooftop panels are rarely recycled<\/p>\n “Solar power gives an illusion of clean energy for two decades, but without a serious plan for recycling panels it risks leaving behind a graveyard of modules and not much of a legacy,” says environment expert Sai Bhaskar Reddy Nakka.<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, experts say the problem is not without opportunities. <\/p>\n “As waste rises, so will the demand for companies that know how to process it,” Mr Pahwa says. <\/p>\n Efficient recycling could reclaim 38% of materials for new panels by 2047 and prevent 37 million tonnes of carbon emissions from mining, says CEEW.<\/p>\n India already has markets for glass and aluminium, and metals found in solar cells – silicon, silver, and copper – can be recovered for new panels or other industries, says Akansha Tyagi, co-author of the study.<\/p>\n Currently, most solar waste is processed with basic methods that recover only low-value materials like glass and aluminium, while precious metals are lost, damaged or extracted in tiny amounts.<\/p>\n Experts say the next decade will be decisive for India’s solar goals. The country must act fast – building a regulated, self-sustaining recycling system, raising household awareness, and integrating waste collection into solar business models.<\/p>\n Companies that profit from solar power should also be responsible for what happens to panels once they stop working, says Mr Nakka. <\/p>\n “Without proper recycling, clean energy today could mean more waste tomorrow,” he warned.<\/p>\n Follow BBC News India on Instagram<\/a>, YouTube,<\/a> X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Hindustan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20ed00e0-d5b7-11f0-88d3-f3714d37a458.jpg.webp.webp\")
Hindustan Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n