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21/03/24 04:09 AM IST

India to generate 600 kilotonnes of solar waste by 2030

In News
  • India generated about 100 kilotonnes (kt) of solar waste in the financial year (FY) 2022-2023, according to a new study published recently.
About solar waste
  • Solar waste refers to the waste generated during the manufacturing of solar modules and waste from the field (project lifetime), according to the study.
  • Manufacturing involves two streams of waste, including the scrap that’s produced and the waste generated from PV modules failing quality tests.
  • Meanwhile, waste from the field involves three streams of waste.
  • One, waste generated during transporting and handling — the damaged modules are considered as waste.
  • Two, waste produced due to the damage incurred by solar modules during their lifetime.
  • Three, when the modules reach their end-of-life and are not usable anymore.
Findings of the study
  • By 2030, India’s current installed solar capacity will generate about 340 kt — three times more than the present.
  • Around 67 per cent of this waste is expected to be produced by five states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
  • This is because these five states currently have more solar capacity than other states and therefore, will produce more solar waste.
  • By 2050, it will increase to about 19,000 kt and 77 per cent of which will be generated from new capacities.
  • The 340 kt waste expected to be produced by 2030 would consist of 10 kt of silicon, 12-18 tonnes of silver, and 16 tonnes of cadmium and tellurium.
Recommendations to manage solar waste
  • It urged the policymakers to maintain a comprehensive database of the installed solar capacity, which would help in estimating solar waste in the following years.
  • The report also said the policymakers should incentivise recyclers, and push stakeholders to effectively manage the growing solar waste.
  • The report talked about two broad ways of recycling solar panels.
  • First is conventional recycling or bulk material recycling, which 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.
  • The other way of recycling is known as 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.
Source- The Hindu

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