Subscribe to Newsletter

logo

  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Resources
  • Trending
  • Business Insight
  • Events
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home
  • Home
  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Resources
  • Trending
  • Business Insight
  • Events
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Researchers prepare for looming solar and wind energy waste problem

22 Feb, 2021



Researchers at the University of South Australia are leading a national push to ensure the renewable energy industry doesn’t become a waste management issue.

Australia has the highest proportion of household photovoltaic (PV) systems in the world, with more than 21 per cent of homes – or around 2.59 million – now possessing a solar energy system.

With most PV systems paying themselves off in three to five years, the average 25-year life span of solar panels makes them an excellent investment, delivering a good return for decades after their cost is recovered.

Eventually, however, all good things come to an end, and increasingly, industry experts are starting to ask what we’re going to do with all these solar panels when they are due to be replaced. In Australia alone, it is estimated more than 100,000 tonnes of solar panels will enter the national waste stream by 2035.

Solar energy expert, Professor Peter Majewski, is leading research at UniSA’s Future Industries Institute (FII) to help establish a lifetime stewardship scheme for Australia’s PV industry, ensuring end-of-life strategies are in place long before solar waste peaks.

“We have time to plan for this and ensure the processes are in place, but we have to start acting now, as the right practices may take some time to implement,” Professor Majewski said.

“There are good stewardship programs in place for products such as paint and tyres in Australia, and we would like to see a similar system in place for solar, where the disposal process is pre-planned as an integral part of the product lifecycle.”

While retired solar panels are relatively safe and stable, they are classified as e-waste, meaning they cannot be put into landfill in Victoria. With similar bans likely to follow in other states, the need for alternative solutions is clear.

One major challenge facing the solar industry is the low recycle value of PV panels, coupled with the high energy requirements of the currently available collection and recycling processes.

“There is only a little over $5 in recyclable materials in each panel at current market value,” Professor Majewski shared.

“The high volume of panels will eventually offset this low value to an extent, but at the moment, we can’t expect market forces alone to drive recycling, and investment is needed to establish a waste management scheme and to improve the technology available for that process.”

Professor Peter Majewski is a Research Professor in Advanced Materials at UniSA’s Future Industries Institute. Image of Professor Majewski courtesy of the University of South Australia.

Professor Majewski’s team at FII are currently working on developing both policy and technological solutions to PV’s end of life problem, and he believes the integration of both dimensions will be key to a successful stewardship scheme.

He believes that regulation around collection and recycling targets will be important to drive the process initially, but notes that developing the best disposal techniques is essential, and this may even influence manufacturing techniques and what goes into the panels to start with.

End-of-life management for PV isn’t the only challenge facing the renewables industry, and a similar disposal problem exists in relation to the blades of wind turbines, which are large and notoriously difficult to recycle.

“These blades are the size of an airliner wing, and they have been built to withstand hurricane-force winds, so they are a big challenge when they get to the end of their life,” Professor Majewski commented.

“As with solar panels, that disposal challenge requires planning and preparation, but approached the right way it doesn’t have to be an insurmountable problem, and we are beginning to look at strategies for how to deal with these blades as they come offline.”

Related Articles

REGEN 2025

REGEN 2025

Solar & Energy Storage Summit 2025

Solar & Energy Storage Summit 2025

SOLAR AND STORAGE LIVE QUEENSLAND

SOLAR AND STORAGE LIVE QUEENSLAND

ASEAN Battery and Energy Storage Expo 2025

ASEAN Battery and Energy Storage Expo 2025

Comments

Leave a comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Breaking

  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Resources
19 Jun

TotalEnergies acquires major UK renewable portfolio

17 Jun

Renewables surge, with solar and wind dominating

17 Jun

UNSW engineers accelerate green tech commercialisation

09 Jun

AEMO’s distribution focus enables community participation

06 Jun

Report shows 20 million gained energy access in 2024

18 Jun

McNab wins Queensland Sustainability Award 2025

18 Jun

Investa signs six-year renewable energy agreement

12 Jun

Cumberland celebrates planting its 1,000th tree

10 Jun

Stantec helps New Epping achieve sustainability excellence

09 Jun

RMIT engineers transform low-grade clay into cement

09 Jun

Australia’s hydrogen certification framework faces scrutiny

09 Jun

Biofuel demand outpaces supply, risking shortages

28 May

Major contract awarded for methanol facility in UAE

27 May

Archaeologist accuses WA government of North West Shelf cover-up

13 May

Queensland resources sector drives energy transition

  • BATTERY ASSET MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

Online Magazine

    Current Cover
  • Login
  • Subscribe

Subscribe

Subscribe to Newsletter

Our Titles

  • Share on Newsletter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
© Sage Media Group 2025 All Rights Reserved.
×
Authorization
  • Registration
 This feature has been disabled
 This feature has been disabled until further notice, however you may still register
×
Registration
  • Autorization
Register
* All fields required