NSW “Sunset On Solar” Panel Recycling Project

Riverina and Murray Joint Organisation (RAMJO) member councils are undertaking a project to divert solar panels from local landfills.

Solar panels have a service life of decades, assuming they are of good quality – but something still needs to be done with the panels once they reach the end of that life. There are also solar panels of poor quality installed across Australia not lasting the distance, panels left over from upgrades still in good working order or have otherwise met an early end.

Many of these have been winding up in landfill or are being stockpiled.

It’s been predicted that by 2035, solar panels and associated batteries could create between 40,000-71,000 tonnes of waste per year just in New South Wales. While much of a solar panel can be recycled, there needs to be infrastructure in place to do so, and for it to be cost-effective.

Under the “Sunset on Solar” project, RAMJO member councils – Murray River, Griffith, Hay, Federation, Berrigan, Leeton and AlburyCity – are collecting baseline data relating to existing solar panels entering the waste stream in preparation for the future.

The collaboration also involves performing some initial processing of discarded solar panels in the region, consisting of stripping frames from modules in order to boost transport capacity. The remaining material will then be shipped to Melbourne for additional processing, which will enable “100 per cent” of the panel to be recovered.

The Sunset on Solar project has been supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Waste Less Recycle More initiative, which is funded by a waste levy. The total project cost is $89,000 and it’s expected approximately 7,500 panels will be recycled over its duration – working out to around $12 per panel.

RAMJO has also teamed up with PV Industries and the University of Technology Sydney to investigate commercially viable approaches for the collection, aggregation and assessment of end-of-life solar panels and associated waste within its region.

Other Recent Solar Panel Recycling Progress

Among other efforts on this front and also in New South Wales, the NSW State Government created the $10 million Circular Solar grants program. Round 1 of the program awarded $1.1 million in funding for two projects and in Round 2, $7 million is on offer across three streams: new infrastructure and expansions, re-use R&D, and collection and recovery logistics. Applications for Round 2 close this week.

Some solar installation companies have also been active in finding uses for discarded panels left over from upgrades that still have good years in them. We recently reported on how unwanted solar panels from Australia are getting a second life overseas.

At a national level, there has been an increased sense of urgency on getting solar panel recycling in Australia sorted after Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley announced an industry-led nationwide scheme design must be finalised by June next year. It’s a bit of a touchy topic as the Clean Energy Council said it had previously tried to work with the Morrison Government on such a scheme, but the Government walked away from the partnership.