Australia’s solar energy waste issue is growing every year

The annual level of solar energy waste produced in Australia is expected to grow by 30,000 tonnes by 2030, according to predictions from the government department working to develop a national recycling plan.

In January, a three-year, $24.7 million, three-year pilot aimed at creating a national plan to deal with solar waste was announced by the federal government.

Mofogoli aims to collect up to 250,000 solar panels from 100 locations across the country to gather information on how to recycle them.

In the meeting of the parliamentary committee today, the representatives of the department of land reform, energy, environment and water explained about the challenges that the pilot of the plane is facing.

Cameron Hutchison, from the department’s packaging, management and investment division, said the renewal issue may be bigger than the federal government had anticipated.

“At the end of last year around 60,000 tonnes of solar panels in Australia reached the end of their life and that – with our current estimates – could end up being around 90,000 tonnes by 2030,” he said.

“There’s some industrial activity there, however it’s starting to make that number questionable, maybe even a bit ridiculous.

“Some of it is based on the fact that we think the solar panels are used for about 20 years.”

Mr Hutchison says this lifespan is being “shortened” with the advent of new technology and better panels.

“People are replacing them very quickly … the problem is there and it’s known and it’s probably bigger than we expected,” he said.

James Tregurtha, from the department’s circular economy branch, told the committee that the system for transporting discarded solar panels to landfills prevented many of them from being recycled.

He said: “They are heavy, they can break if they are not handled properly, when they break they cannot be reused because of the pieces of glass,” he said.

“Getting intact panels from in situ to a recycling facility in a way that preserves reuse is, in our view, one of the key challenges.”

According to the federal government, about one in three Australian households have solar panels on their roofs, making the country one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.

The latest solar energy emissions estimates released by the International Energy Agency in 2016 showed Australia could produce about 145,000 tonnes by 2030.

Preliminary government estimates compiled from reported industry data showed that about 50 million solar panels could become waste by 2035, equivalent to about 1 million tons of waste.

Australia does not yet have a national data collection to track solar panel waste and the amount of products that go into landfill or are recycled.

“A lot of the problems are about the logistics of getting them to the right places in the right conditions,” Mr Hutchison said.

“We understand that in the right conditions with the right system, 90 percent of the panel can be recycled.

“We need to do a lot of work to understand how we can create that system in Australia and support that system.”

Why do people throw away solar panels?

Many Australians are ditching rooftop solar panels to replace them with newer, cheaper and more efficient models, according to Mr Tregurtha.

“Five to 10 years ago, your last panel … would have been 330 kilowatts. Now it’s 450, so it’s like 25 percent and cheaper,” he said.

“The reason why it’s cheap is because of … a big increase in production, especially in some Asian countries.

“As people want to generate more of their own electricity on their roofs or, in the case of a commercial business, how can you improve your situation. By getting efficient panels that will produce more energy for a lower investment.”

Mr Tregurtha said there was little evidence to suggest Australians were opting to use old-fashioned solar panels.

“Generally what we’re finding is that once the panels come off the roof and are replaced for disposal, reuse production is likely to be uneconomical in terms of analysis. [and] care you will have to do,” he said.

“People have suggested things like using it for public housing or buildings, voluntary organizations [and] examination halls.

“The point is to make sure they’re safe because then you’re taking the whole system apart and putting it back together somewhere else.”

The federal government pilot will also be committed to exploring the best ways to reduce the toxicity and electrical safety risks associated with solar radiation pollution, Mr. Tregurtha said.

The government was still in the process of finding an organization to run the pilot, the committee heard.

Mr Hutchison said: “We expect to have the pilot up and running this side by the end of the financial year.

“From there we expect the pilot to run for 12 to 18 months, where we’re pulling out data and studies.

“We’re really at the forefront of this. Australia is a leader in solar adoption.”