Solar Waste

General Studies Paper-3 

Context: India’s solar waste could reach 600 kilotonnes by 2030 as per a study published by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Key Findings

• Waste Generation:India’s installed 7 gigawatt (GW) capacity, as of FY23, has generated about 100 kilotonnes (kt) of cumulative waste, which will increase to 340 kt by 2030.
  • This volume will increase 32 times by 2050 resulting in about 19000 kt of cumulative waste.
• States Contribution:Around 67 percent of this waste is expected to be generated in five states: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Rajasthan will account for 24 percentof the waste generated by 2030, followed by Gujarat accounting for 16 percent, and Karnataka accounting for 12 percent.

India’s Solar Capacity

• Globally, India has emerged as a significant player in renewable energy, ranking fourth in total renewable power capacity additions and fifth in solar power capacity.
• From 2014 to 2024, India also saw an expansion in its installed capacity for energy generation, increasing from74 GW in FY 2014-15 to 74.31 GW in FY 2023-24 (till January). 
• It is slated to jump to 292 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030.

Solar Waste

• Solar waste refers to the waste generated during the manufacturing of solar modules and waste from the field (project lifetime).
• Manufacturing involves two streams of waste, including the scrap that’s produced and the waste generated from PV modules failing quality tests.
• Waste from the field involves three streams of waste. 
  • Waste generated during transporting and handling— the damaged modules are considered as waste.
  • Waste produced due to the damage incurred by solar modules during their lifetime.
  • When the modules reach their end-of-life and are not usable anymore.
• Thestudy only focused on waste from the field (project lifetime) category and excluded waste generated during manufacturing.

Key Recommendations

• The policymakers should maintain a comprehensive database of the installed solar capacity, which would help in estimating solar waste in the following years.
• The MoEFCC should issue guidelines for collecting and storing solar waste.
  • Furthermore, it should also promote safe and efficient processing of stored waste.
• Solar cell and module producers should start developing waste collection and storage centres to adhere to the responsibilities assigned in the E-waste Management Rules 2022.
• Policymakers should incentivise recyclers, and push stakeholders to effectively manage the growing solar waste.

Solar Waste Recycling Methods

• Conventional Recycling or Bulk Material Recycling:It involves mechanical processes like crushing, sieving, and shearing of the waste.
  • While the majority of recycled materials consist of glass, aluminium, and copper, more valuable materials like silver and silicon cannot be recovered through this method.
• High Value Recycling: It involves the use of a combination of mechanical, chemical, and thermal processes to recycle the modules.
  • Unlike conventional recycling, this method can recover silver and silicon also with the help of chemical processes.