"India's Solar Power Capacities Predicted to Generate 600 Kilotonnes of Waste by 2030"

A recent study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has revealed that India's solar power sector, which generated 99 kilotonnes of solar photovoltaic (PV) waste till FY23, is expected to generate approximately 600 kilotonnes (KT) of additional waste from existing and upcoming solar power projects by 2030.

Most of this waste is projected to come from states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, as India continues to expand its renewable energy capacity towards achieving net-zero emissions targets.

The study highlights that the cumulative waste from India's existing and new solar energy capacities, deployed between FY24 and FY30, could fill up 720 Olympic-size swimming pools by the end of the decade. Specifically, the waste from the country's current installed solar capacity alone is anticipated to increase to 340 KT by 2030, containing critical minerals such as silicon, silver, cadmium, and tellurium.

Rajasthan is expected to contribute 24 per cent of this waste, followed by Gujarat (16 per cent) and Karnataka (12 per cent), with the remaining three states contributing 67 per cent collectively. Between FY14 and FY30, Rajasthan and Gujarat are projected to generate about 4.1 KT and 2.7 KT of waste per annum, respectively, while the other three states could contribute between 2.0 to 1.2 KT of waste per annum.

The study also points out that by 2040, cumulative waste could increase significantly to reach 4,981 KT, with the majority coming from existing capacity until FY23. By 2050, all capacity deployed until 2030 is expected to reach the end of its life, resulting in a cumulative waste of 18,980 KT.

The CEEW study underscores the importance of estimating PV waste as the first step towards establishing a circular economy for the solar industry. It suggests that stakeholders, including the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), manufacturers, academia, and industry, need to collaborate to create a comprehensive circular economy ecosystem.

The study recommends that MNRE create and update a comprehensive database of installed solar capacity, while producers should establish collection centers and storage facilities for the waste generated until 2035, as per the E-waste Management Rules. Additionally, manufacturers are urged to invest in recycling facilities or outsource recycling operations to third-party vendors with expertise in solar PV recycling.

Furthermore, academia and industry are encouraged to accelerate innovation in module recycling technology to address the nascent stage of solar module recycling in India.

HBL