Australia’s First Solar Panel Recycling Research Centre Opens
A newly established research hub aims to gather engineers, scientists, and policymakers to confront a significant challenge in renewable energy in Australia: the disposal of ageing solar panels.
UNSW Sydney unveiled the country’s first solar panel recycling research centre on Wednesday, thanks to a generous $5 million grant from the Australian Research Council. This initiative arrives at a crucial time, with projections indicating that solar panel waste in Australia could surpass 91,000 tonnes by 2030. Additionally, the federal government is set to commence a national recycling pilot project with a budget of $24 million.
Key Research Areas
The research hub will explore five critical facets of the solar panel industry in Australia. This includes examining recycling processes, the waste generated, opportunities for reusing extracted materials, the development of policy standards, and the redesign of solar panels to facilitate easier recycling.
Currently, very few solar systems installed in homes and businesses are recycled after their removal, highlighted Professor Bronwyn Fox, UNSW’s deputy vice-chancellor for research and enterprise. She underscored the necessity of collaboration from experts across various fields to transform e-waste into a thriving circular economy.
“It is estimated that photovoltaic waste in Australia could reach 100,000 tonnes annually by 2030,” she noted. “As we move towards a net-zero future, we must ensure that the technologies facilitating this transition are sustainable themselves.”
Growing Solar Panel Waste
With over 4.3 million solar power systems installed in Australian homes and small businesses, as reported by the Clean Energy Regulator, the recycling rate for decommissioned panels remains alarmingly low. Government estimates suggest that solar panel waste could nearly double, jumping from 59,340 tonnes in 2025 to an anticipated 91,165 tonnes by 2030.
Professor Yansong Shen, director of the Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability hub, stated that valuable materials such as glass, silicon, silver, and copper could be reclaimed from these panels, should the appropriate facilities be made available.
“Our goal is to foster a robust recycling industry in Australia that not only generates jobs but also bolsters new supply chains and enhances our sustainable energy security,” he explained. “We will consider our mission accomplished when solar panel waste is redefined from being a problem to becoming a component of a sustainable system.”
Government Initiatives
A government inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling was launched in January, alongside a $24.7 million pilot program targeting the collection of 250,000 panels from 100 different locations. This three-year scheme is specifically focused on recycling solar panels from households and businesses, rather than those used in solar farms.
