End-of-Life Management of Solar PV Panels

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to quantify the nature and extent of the Northern Territory’s solar photovoltaic (PV) waste and to explore how end-of-life (EOL) management planning could be used to mitigate both the environmental threats posed by solar waste as well as offset the potential costs of managing this waste in the future. As the first study of its kind in the Northern Territory (NT) (and first of its kind to focus on Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote areas of Australia), this project sought to provide insights into the current policy environment and practices and the barriers and challenges associated with managing solar PV waste, as well as generate a robust evidence base regarding the current and future solar waste trajectories in the NT. The study also aimed to identify potential options for managing this waste including opportunities for regional and remote communities. In order to address these aims, there were two key data collection activities: gathering data on solar PV panel installations from Clean Energy Regulator (CER), Power and Water Corporation (PWC) and Ekistica, in order to create a robust solar panel database, and conducting a series of stakeholder interviews regarding current policy and practice, barriers and challenges and preferred solutions for managing solar PV waste. In order to contextualise the study findings and inform on their interpretation the report includes a review of literature from Australia and overseas that relates to EOL management of solar PV waste. This review revealed a substantial body of research and development on PV recycling and material recovery processes yet found very few commercial facilities worldwide that fully recycle the modules, none of which are located in Australia. It also revealed that transport and logistics issues pose significant challenges for the economic recycling of PV panels, even in more densely populated parts of the world. Potential solutions such as decentralised recycling plants, mobile recycling plants and collaborative collection schemes have not been subject to detailed evaluation in different geographic and demographic settings. An overarching theme from the literature review that became apparent was that considerations of PV waste issues have rarely occurred within regional or remote settings and the majority of potential solutions require economies of scale. Previous research and our data indicate that in the NT there are multiple solar PV waste flows and stakeholders involved in this sector. Rather than consider solar waste management issues through the lens of a straightforward supply chain, it should be conceived of as an interconnected system, with responsibility for managing this waste shared amongst governments, industry and consumers. It follows that solutions need to involve a range of stakeholders and a collaborative approach.Using the volumes and trajectories presented in this report as a rough guide, findings suggest that economies of scale with regard to panel discards will be difficult to achieve until at least the mid-2040s. This is in part because waste trajectories vary across the regions and local government areas (LGAs); not all of the latter experience a surge or peak of solar PV waste at the same time. Given that the potential economic returns from recycling c-Si panels also appear to remain relatively modest up until the mid-2040s, the capacity to offset some of the economic costs of managing the NT’s solar PV waste through recycling appears limited. The data gathered from this study suggests that solar PV panels are often removed prematurely (i.e. before reaching end of working life) and for reasons other than technical failures or adverse weather impacts. Data also suggests that there is a real need for policy development and regulatory reform regarding solar PV waste management. Clear directions are required on ‘what to do next’ once the panels are removed. Additionally, there is a policy gap between Northern Territory Government (NTG) policies, such as the renewables policies, waste policies and public housing improvement policies.