Reducing recovery gap of solar photovoltaic waste is key to managing increasing quantity of solar PV waste: CSTEP study

India is among the top five countries in terms of capacity of installed solar power. Of India’s ambitious target of 500-GW RE capacity by 2030, over 292 GW is likely to be generated using solar power. According to the CSTEP, this increase in installed capacity also opens doors to massive waste streams and increased emissions.

In order to address the challenges in PV waste management, the study has proposed an optimisation-modelling-driven recycling framework, which identifies clusters, collection centres and optimal locations for setting up recycling units.

“The recycling framework consists of three approaches. The first approach considers the ‘shortest distance’ to identify the optimal locations for recycling units. The second approach considers the ‘minimum transport cost’ (of transporting waste) to identify collection centres and the ‘shortest distance’ to identify the optimal locations for recycling units. The third approach considers agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) to determine the number of clusters and ‘minimum transport cost’ to identify collection centres and the optimal locations for recycling units,” the study says.

The AHC is a clustering algorithm that is used to determine the number of clusters of PV plants.

“While implementing a recycling framework, a robust monitoring and reporting (M&R) system could help track PV installations, as well as report and regulate the amount of PV waste generated, recycled and reused in the economy. This system would assist in setting recycling targets, supervising the accomplishment of such targets, and regulating the informal handling of PV waste in India,” the study added.

Taneja, who is a senior policy analyst specialist and group head at the CSTEP, also pointed out that presently absence of adequate infrastructure for collecting, recycling and repurposing PV waste and limited job opportunities and investments in PV waste recycling are some of the challenges.

In the short term which spans from 2023 to 2027, the study said that the regulators/policymakers can clearly define who is responsible for collecting and recycling PV waste, set up achievable recycling benchmarks and suggest a special provision for PV waste handling under e-waste management. License collectors and recyclers should, according to the study, limit the informal handling of PV waste and establish a stable market for recycled panels.

Karnataka must take a lead in this direction considering that it is expected to be among the top five PV waste generating states in the years to come, the study suggested.

On September 7, Karnataka Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge had announced the setting up of a circular economy cluster.

“It has been included in key state policies. The startup policy of the Karnataka state, the urban solid waste management policy of 2020, the Karnataka registered vehicle scrapping policy of 2022, and the e-waste management rule of 2022. All these policies are aimed at early adoption and energising of the circular economy. We are coming up with a circular economy lab. We will be coming up with probably India’s first circular economy lab, along with the Department of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development and in partnership with the private players, academia and other governments,” he said.