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Cumulative value of materials that can be recycled from solar photovoltaic (PV) waste in a 1.5°C scenario is estimated at $4 billion by 2040 and $8.8 billion by 2050, according to the preliminary findings of a joint study undertaken the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
“Silver, copper and aluminium will form the largest share of materials by value that can be recycled,” said Jinlei Feng, Programme officer at IRENA and one of the authors of the forthcoming report ‘End of Life Management of Solar PV in the Energy Transition - Enabling circular economy,’ while sharing insights from the study at the IRENA 13th assembly last week.
He said more than 100 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity has been added in the three years from 2019 to 2021, which will lead to a substantial jump in waste generated after a 25-year lifetime for the PV panels.
“For crystalline silicon [c-Si] solar PV technology, we estimate that over 50 million tonnes of materials will be needed to produce all the solar PV needed in a 1.5 degree scenario by 2030, a more than two fold increase from 2020. There will be demand for materials like glass, aluminium paste and aluminium frames and silver. Silver accounted for 9 percent of materials required by value for global annual solar PV production in 2020.”
“By 2050, there will be more than 210 million tonnes of cumulative solar PV waste globally and more than three quarters of the waste will be generated after 2040 and 40 percent of the waste will be generated in the last five years between 2045-2050. Annual solar PV waste generation will touch 10 million tonnes by 2040 and increase to 20 million tonnes by 2050,” he explained, adding that India and Indonesia’s annual solar waste generation will increase significantly after 2040.
He said very few countries have programmes to support the circular solar PV economy and hence, policies, programmes and collaborations among stakeholders is urgently needed.
“The study and the forthcoming report assesses global solar PV circular economy pathways and policies,” he disclosed.
IRENA and the International Energy Agency (IEA) had released the first report on the subject in 2016.
(Writing by Sowmya Sundar; Editing by Anoop Menon)
