India to generate 600 kilotonnes of solar waste by 2030: What a new study says

Syllabus: GS-III, Subject: Environment and Ecology, Topic: Waste Management, Issue: Solar waste

Context: Solar waste produced by India is expected to reach 600 kt by 2030

Solar waste:

• Manufacturing waste comprises scrap and waste from failed quality tests.
• Field waste includes waste from transporting, handling, damage during operation, and end-of-life modules.

Two broad methods of recycling solar panels:

• Conventional recycling involves mechanical processes but cannot recover valuable materials like silver and silicon.
• High-value recycling uses mechanical, chemical, and thermal processes to recover valuable materials like silver and silicon.

The way ahead

• Establish a comprehensive database of installed solar capacity to estimate future solar waste.
• Incentivize recyclers and stakeholders to effectively manage solar waste.
• Focus on creating a market for solar recycling to address the immediate and future waste issues.

Source: Indian Express