Global Solar Panel Recycling Efforts Grow, But US and Japan Lag Behind in Legislation and Accountability.

Solar reuse and recycling plans are spreading globally, with Clyncke stating that solar panels are not a great waste proposition due to their long-term durability and inability to predict when they will need to be recycled. He also criticises US decommissioning requirements, which he claims are inadequate due to the focus on large commissioning plans and lack of accountability at project’s end-of-life. Washington State is the only US state with advanced plans for an extended producer responsibility scheme for PV panels, which is due to start in 2027. The UK and EU have implemented extension producer responsibility legislation for PV modules and inverters since 2014 under the Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) directive, which requires reporting how much product has been placed into or taken out of the market each quarter and what has been treated or recycled. However, India, where solar PV has been removed from the E-waste laws several times, will eventually have to come to terms with this end-to-life phase. ClynClynckey notes that waste legislation initiated in Europe has spread globally, while Japan does not have such legislation. He criticises the use of large-scale PV plants in large projects and Japan has a requirement for large-sized projects of over 1MW.