Solar Panel Recycling 'Soaring'... Strengthening Environmental Assessment from Production

Solar Panel Recycling EU 80% Target Achieved
Serious Pollution and Resource Waste from Solar Waste Panels
Aim to Reduce Harmful Substances from Production Stage

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The government has decided to include solar panel waste in the EcoAs (Environmental Assurance System) pre-management target to reduce pollution from discarded solar panels and increase recycling rates. This is to reduce the use of hazardous substances from the production stage and to manufacture panels with materials and structures that are easy to recycle.

On the 5th, the government reviewed and finalized the "Strengthening Measures for Managing Solar Panel Waste" at the National Policy Agenda Ministerial Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The goal is to achieve an 80% recycling and reuse rate of solar panel waste within three years, matching the level of the European Union (EU).

The amount of solar panel waste is expected to increase sharply from 1,223 tons in 2025 to 2,645 tons in 2027, 6,796 tons in 2029, and 9,643 tons in 2032. Discarded panels not only cause environmental pollution but also lead to significant resource waste if not properly recycled. Examples include raw materials such as aluminum, silver, copper, and silicon found in the panels.

Accordingly, the government has established a management system that eliminates pollution sources at the production, dismantling, collection, processing, and reduction stages of solar panels, and actively recycles idle resources.

First, from the production stage, manufacturers will be encouraged to design solar panels that are easy to recycle. By including solar panels in the EcoAs "pre-management" target, they will be produced with materials and structures that facilitate recycling. This is called "resource-circulating panel production." Until now, solar panels were included only in post-management targets.

During solar panel dismantling work, regulations will be revised to require that electrical specialists perform the tasks, and standard specifications will be created. Small-scale waste panels from households and farms will be collected using household collection systems. Additionally, large-scale waste panels generated from power plants and public institutions will be dismantled by specialized companies and collected and processed mainly through mutual aid associations. In the event of a large number of solar panel wastes in mountainous areas caused by natural disasters, a storage system will be operated centered on regional future waste resource collection centers nationwide.

At the processing stage, the number of recycling companies currently operating (2) will be expanded to 7, establishing independent recycling systems in five major regions: the metropolitan area and Gangwon region, Chungcheong region, Yeongnam region, Honam region, and Jeju region. Furthermore, to reduce logistics costs for collecting and recycling waste panels, intermediate collection facilities will be installed in 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

Moreover, guidelines for utilizing reusable panels will be prepared to reduce the generation of waste panels. A resource-circulating official development assistance (ODA) program will also be promoted to support waste panel processing facilities and technologies for developing countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.