Victoria Launches Solar Waste Challenge

In an effort to find new ways of recycling solar panels in terms of materials recovery, Breakthrough Victoria’s $10 million Solar Waste Challenge was officially launched on Friday.

Breakthrough Victoria is an independent company managing a $2 billion investment fund set up by the Victorian Government designed to:

• Support new ideas and technologies to help solve globally significant challenges.
• Create industries of the future.
• Improve health and wellbeing.
• Deliver prosperity and sustainable returns for the state.

Support the organisation provides isn’t free money. Breakthrough Victoria is an equity investor, meaning it takes a slice of the action for any project supported.

The End-Of-Life Solar Challenge

Solar power is a technology helping to address significant problems, but comes with a few challenges of its own – including what to do with end-of-life PV gear. Good quality solar panels have a service life of decades, but not all panels installed to date are of good quality. Even where they are, at some point they’ll need to be retired – and panels with years of power production left in them may also be ditched as part of solar system upgrades.

Based on a stated *average* 15-year service life per panel¹ and as a result of solar uptake in the state driven by Victoria’s solar panel rebate, 187,000 tonnes of PV waste could be generated by 2035.

Breakthrough Victoria’s Solar Waste Challenge is calling for novel, commercial and scalable solutions able to create high-value products from end-of-life panels.

“Breakthrough Victoria wants to invest in solar panel recycling to directly create a circular economy within Victoria for solar panels, while diverting waste from landfill, creating jobs and stimulating economic development within the state,” says the organisation.

While solar panels can’t go to landfill in Victoria anyway due to the state’s e-waste ban in place since July 2019, if this initiative can find even better ways of dealing with end-of-life panels, then that is a very good thing.

Innovations eligible for potential financial backing may include new separation and recycling technologies, collection and logistics developments and ways to maximise harvesting of materials. As well as existing businesses in Victoria, those outside the state looking to expand into it can apply for Solar Waste Challenge investment.

Further details regarding the initiative can be found here.

Creating More Jobs And New Industries

It was only a few years ago recycling and reuse of unwanted solar panels didn’t get a lot of attention in Australia, but that is rapidly changing and several facilities are already in operation. The Victorian Government’s announcement is another instance of Australia really starting to get its act together on this front.

“Our Solar Waste Challenge is an example of how we are working with industry and innovators in our nation-leading clean energy transition, while proactively addressing potential environmental impacts,” said Victorian Minister for Solar Homes Lily D’Ambrosio. “We’ve helped 200,000 households and businesses to install solar – driving down power bills and emissions – and now we’re creating more jobs and new industries as we boost Victoria’s recycling to meet our clean energy transition.”