Will Oregon’s Solar Boom Lead to a Solar Recycling Boom?

French Prairie (Baldock) Rest Area near Wilsonville.

The Oregon Department of Energy’s Solar Dashboard shows just 15 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in 1999 – the first year for which we have data. At the time, those solar electric panels – all on residential rooftops – were quite the novelty, and something to stop and stare at.

Now, it seems like solar is everywhere. Just click on that same map through various years to see how rapidly Oregon’s energy landscape is changing. Many of the projects built today are being installed in large clusters on the ground for “community-scale” projects, or much larger “utility-scale” ventures, which are becoming an increasingly important element of our electric grid.

According to data from the Solar Energy Industry Association, Oregon was home to about 614 megawatts of solar PV capacity as of the third quarter of 2019, with an additional 972 megawatts expected to be added over the next five years. That means around 105,000 tons of solar panels will be retired in the next 25-30 years! Those panels will need to go somewhere – but where, exactly? 

ODOE’s Energy Facility Siting team works with developers on the siting and retirement of large-scale energy facilities to make sure that any facility that’s under state jurisdiction – whether it’s solar or wind or natural gas – minimizes waste and is decommissioned in a way that meets all applicable environmental laws and regulations. But what about smaller solar projects, such as panels installed on businesses or residential rooftops?

Recycling solar panels isn’t as easy as recycling your newspaper or Amazon box. Roughly 80 percent of a typical panel is glass and aluminum – products currently so low in monetary value that disassembling and recycling them may not be cost effective. Many solar panels also contain small amounts of hazardous materials such as lead and cadmium, making recycling even more difficult.

The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that up to 86 million tons of solar panel waste could be generated worldwide by 2050, with 8-11 million tons coming from the U.S. While there are some solar panel recyclers entering the market, much of the waste will likely end up in landfills unless recycling becomes more cost-effective or becomes required by law.

Today, the European Union requires 80% of solar panel waste to be recycled or reused through its Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. Currently there are no laws specifically relating to solar panel waste at the federal level in the U.S., but some states have passed legislation to encourage the recovery and recycling of panels. California is in the process of passing regulations which would keep solar modules out of landfills, and Washington will prohibit manufacturers that do not have a recycling program in place from selling solar panels in that state after Jan. 1, 2021.

As more panels in Oregon are decommissioned in the coming years, we’ll need to figure out the best ways to manage the panels and clear pathways so that Oregonians who want to do the right thing can make sure their renewable energy resources aren’t a landfill problem.