Solar Production A Hit, Waste Management Policy A Miss

It's now time for the central and state governments to formulate a specific policy for the impending solar waste crisis. According to experts, if this waste can be recycled, then the disaster can be converted into an opportunity.

The central government has given a legal framework for the disposal of this waste, but due to the lack of a policy, a new solar waste industry could not be established.

A New Recycling Industry

According to a recent report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), over 11 million tonnes of solar waste will be generated in the next two decades, which, if managed properly, makes space to create a new recycling industry.

With the right policy push, waste can be converted into wealth. Recycling can save valuable metals like silicon, copper, aluminium and silver, meeting up to 38% of the materials needed for renewable energy production.

The council estimates that around 300 recycling plants will be required in the country, which could require an investment of ₹4,200 crore.

An official from the Energy Department said that Gujarat and Rajasthan are currently competing in the New and Renewable Energy sector. Apart from this, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh are the frontrunner states in this mission. These five states account for 67 per cent of the country's total solar waste.

Hidden Value

Solar panel recycling is not commercially viable yet, but if the government brings in tax incentives and R&D investment, the industry could become profitable.

According to CEEW Fellow Rishabh Jain, India’s solar revolution could create a new green industrial landscape by recovering important minerals and reducing dependence on imports.

Right now, this recycling process is expensive, but it can be made simpler and cheaper, for which a national platform that brings together policy, finance and industry under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) can be set up to achieve the collection and recovery goals.

An expert told The Secretariat that the lifespan of a solar panel is about 20-30 years, after which it turns into waste that is dumped in landfills. According to a 2024 study, India will generate 6 lakh tonnes of solar waste by 2030.

While there isn't a separate policy for solar waste management in India, there are the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, but even these aren't applicable to solar panels.

The central government is considering formulating an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy. MNRE and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) are jointly preparing this framework, which is likely to include a recycling credit system.

Big Picture Solar Capacity

As of 30 September 2025, a total of 127.33 GW of solar capacity has been installed in India according to central government data. Out of that, 30 GW is in Rajasthan, 23 GW in Gujarat, 17 GW in Karnataka, while Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh have about 10 GW of installed capacity each.

A target of 500 GW of installed capacity in the renewable energy sector in India by 2030 has been set, of which the share of solar has been kept at 280 GW.