What to do with used solar panels? University opens Australia’s first PV recycling research centre

A national research hub will seek engineers, scientists and policymakers to tackle one of Australia’s biggest renewable energy challenges: what to do with solar panels at the end of their lives.

UNSW Sydney announced the opening of Australia’s first solar panel recycling research centre on Wednesday, funded by a $5 million grant from the Australian Research Council.

The announcement comes amid forecasts that Australia’s solar panel waste could exceed 91,000 tonnes by 2030, and as the federal government prepares to launch a $24 million national recycling pilot project.

The research centre will probe five aspects of Australia’s solar panel industry, ranging from recycling processes and waste produced by them to reusing extracted materials, creating policy standards, and redesigning solar panels for easier recycling.

Currently, only a small number of household and business solar systems are recycled once removed. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Experts in multiple fields would be needed to support the effort, UNSW research and enterprise deputy vice-chancellor Professor Bronwyn Fox said, and turn an e-waste problem into a circular economy.

“Photovoltaic waste in Australia is predicted to reach 100,000 tonnes annually by 2030,” she said.

“As we accelerate towards a net-zero future, we must ensure the technologies enabling that transition are themselves sustainable.”

Australian households and small businesses have installed more than 4.3 million solar power systems, according to the Clean Energy Regulator, but only a small number are recycled when they are decommissioned and removed.

Government figures predict annual solar panel waste could almost double within five years from 59,340 tonnes in 2025 to 91,165 tonnes by 2030.

Valuable materials like glass, silicon, silver and copper could be extracted from solar panels, Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability hub director Professor Yansong Shen said, if facilities were available.

“We want to help build a robust recycling industry in Australia that creates jobs, supports new supply chains and improves our sustainable energy security,” he said.

“We will know we’ve achieved our objectives when solar panel waste is no longer seen as a problem but as part of a sustainable system.”

In January, the federal government launched an inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling, and a $24.7 million pilot program to collect 250,000 panels from 100 locations.

The scheme, which is funded for three years, will focus on recycling solar panels from households and businesses rather than solar farms.

Source: AAP