Australia Had 1.4 Million Solar Panels Due for Recycling, Only 100,000 Were Processed
'Where is the rest—1.3 million panels? A lot are still at solar farms ... because of transportation cost, they have not moved the panels,' says Neeraj Das.
Australia’s solar panel recycling industry faces significant hurdles related to scale and investor knowledge, hindering growth. While companies can recycle 90% of a panel’s components, recovering residual silicon and silver is still experimental. A vast majority of solar panels designated for recycling in 2025 were not processed, with transportation costs preventing their relocation from solar farms.
- Issues of scale and an uninformed investor base are hampering Australia’s solar panel recycling industry.
- Australian companies can recycle 90% of solar panel components like aluminium, glass, and copper.
- Recovery of remaining materials, such as silicon and silver, is still in the experimental phase.
- In 2025, 1.4 million solar panels were due for recycling, but only 100,000 were processed by one firm.
- Transportation costs are a major factor preventing panels from being moved to recycling facilities.
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