Solar waste alert

By 2030, cumulative solar waste could reach up to 600 kilotonnes, equivalent to filling up 720 Olympic-size swimming pools, a new study has revealed. Most of this waste will come from five states: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

In a bid to expand its renewable capacity to meet net-zero timelines, India has been assiduously promoting solar energy. The country plans to amass around 292 GW of solar capacity by 2030. National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) has assessed the country’s solar potential as 748 GW spanning 3 percent of the waste land area to be covered by Solar Photovoltaics (PV) modules. PV is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics devices that convert sunlight into electrical energy. As per ministry of renewable energy data, India stood 5^th in solar PV deployment in 2023. By December 2023, solar power installed capacity in India had reached around 73 GW.

The recent study done jointly by ministry of new and renewable energy and Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) titled, ‘Enabling a Circular Economy in India’s Solar Industry: Assessing the Solar Waste Quantum’, for the first time, estimated India-specific solar waste generation from various streams, excluding manufacturing. “The waste from India’s current installed solar capacity alone will increase to 340 kilotonnes by 2030. The study found that the rest of the 260 kilotonnes of waste will come from new capacity that will be deployed in this decade,” the study states.

Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW, said, “India must proactively address solar waste, not just as an environmental imperative but as a strategic necessity for ensuring energy security and building a circular economy. As we witness the remarkable growth of solar from only 4 GW in March 2015 to 73 GW in December 2023, robust recycling mechanisms become increasingly crucial. They safeguard renewable ecosystems, create green jobs, enhance mineral security, foster innovation, and build resilient, circular supply chains.”

The head of ReNew Power, India’s biggest independent producer of renewable energy, Sumant Sinha had flagged the issue during World Sustainable Development Summit organised by TERI in February this year. “What are India’s plans to manage waste generated from renewable energy sources including solar panels?” he had asked.