A new study led by the University of South Australia has proposed a product stewardship scheme for solar panels, which was prioritised by the Federal Government several years ago.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have been installed around Australia to help the environment, but according to the University of SA, the industry is now grappling with the anticipated waste generated by 100,000 tonnes of panels due to be dismantled in Australia from 2035.
In a paper published in AIMS Energy, University of SA researcher Professor Peter Majewski said incentives are needed for producers to design solar panels that can be more easily recycled if they are damaged or out of warranty.
“Australia has one of the highest uptakes of solar panels in the world, which is outstanding, but little thought has been given to the significant volume of panels ending up in landfill 20 years down the track when they need to be replaced,” Majewski said.
“There are some simple recycling steps that can be taken to reduce the waste volume, including removing the panels’ frames, glass covers and solar connectors before they are disposed of.”
Landfill bans are in place in Victoria, following the lead of some European countries, which is encouraging existing installers to start thinking about recyclable materials when making the panels.
Majewski said landfill bans are a powerful tool but require legislation that ensures waste is not just diverted to other locations with less stringent regulations. He said serial numbers that can track a history of solar panels could be used to monitor their recycling use and ensure the panels are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
“Several European nations have legislation in place for electric car manufacturers to ensure they are using materials that allow 85 per cent of the car to be recycled at the end of their life. Something similar could be legislated for solar panels,” Majewski said.
A second-hand economy could also be generated by reusing solar panels that are still functioning.
“Solar panel reuse offers a variety of social and environmental benefits, but consumers will need guarantees that second-hand panels will work properly and provide a minimum capacity in watts,” Majewski said.
He said any end-of-life legislation will need to address existing and new panels and support the creation of a second-hand economy.
The paper has suggested a levy on the panels may be needed to help finance an end-of-life scheme.
The Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence said the rapid growth of end-of-life PV systems has been known for some time and they were placed on the Environment Minister’s product stewardship priority list in 2016.
The current Minister’s Priority List includes actionable targets. An industry agreed nationwide scheme design for PV systems must be finalised and the nationwide scheme must be operational by June 2023 and include an approach to deal with legacy panels.
For more information, visit: www.unisa.edu.au
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