The entire world is focusing on how to generate more renewable energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This results in large-scale manufacturing of PV panels and components. All is good until the countries forget to responsibly manage the waste. This is why the hidden effects of India’s solar boom may sabotage the sustainable goals of the country.
India aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and completely transition to clean energy. This has led to the installation of 84.28 GW of solar plants across the country. There has been an additional installation of 55.60 GW currently under construction. Over the past decade, India has increasingly adopted renewable energy sources. This resulted in a 21% increase in renewable energy generation from 2024 to 2023 in the country.
Coal accounts for more than half of the total energy generation in India, while the country ranks 3rd in energy consumption. Also, there are high imports of about 90% oil and 80% of industrial coal to meet the growing energy demands.
India aims to triple its renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 with half generating from solar. To fulfil this, 12 vast solar parks have been built. Moreover, there are plans to install another 39 across 12 states by 2026.
Hidden Effects of India’s Solar Boom
With the increasing large-scale solar plants, there has been an increase in waste from panels too. This includes silicon, aluminum, glass, power inverter, wiring, and rare-earth elements. Now, experts warn that if solar panels continue to grow at the same pace, India will face a higher waste problem. This way, India will be saving energy on one side and harming the environment on the other.
Scientist and Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chetan Solanki told the source, “Humans have become experts at solving one problem only to create another. We will use a lot of solar energy now, and 20 years later, we will again lament our inability to properly manage what we are producing today.”
The waste is generated mostly during the manufacturing stage of solar cells and modules. However, it can also be generated due to low production efficiency, or damage during field operations.
Current Solar Capacity
By 2024, India has already generated around 100 kilotonnes (kt) of waste and this can possibly rise to more than 600 kt by 2030. It can happen from both existing and new installations, as mentioned in a 2024 study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The report mentions this ratio will increase to 32-fold by 2050, resulting in around 19,000 kt of cumulative waste.
Waste Producing States
Around 67% of waste is projected to come majorly from 5 states: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu. As they collectively host 8 of India’s 10 largest solar parks, they are considered the major waste contributors. Also, they are planning to increase their solar capacity in the near future.
According to energy experts, it is becoming difficult for India to manage the transition from traditional energy sources to solar energy.
Program lead at CEEW, Akansha Tyagi said, “With the rapid deployment of solar capacities and the increased focus on domestic cell and module production, we can expect a dramatic rise in solar waste in the coming years.”
Read this if you wonder can solar panels be recycled.
Informal Recycling System
There are no governmental or commercial solar waste recycling facilities in India. Instead, informal operators have taken the initiative to clean the mess. According to the experts, these operators do not have institutional support and are at risk of injury. Yet, they are dismantling, aggregating, transporting, and recycling the panels.
Director of Fusion Waste Management Company in Bhopal, Apurva Sahu said, “We have started disposing of recovered glass from solar plants and also recycle the aluminum and wires along with other electronic waste.”
The company views this as a potential market for waste collection and recycling. Despite their efforts, they are still waiting for approval from the state pollution central board to set up an official solar waste plant.
“I think a few years down the line, the waste is going to increase exponentially. So, the solar waste management market will also grow suddenly. Once the solar panel comes into the waste channel they get further bifurcated, the plastic waste coming from the panel goes to a plastic recycler and the metal waste goes to the metal recycler and so on,” director Sahu added.
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Impact of Informal Waste Recycling
Since the waste is managed by informal operators at different levels, there is no record of the amount of disposed or recycled PV. This pose another danger apart from adverse effects of Solar boom in India. Mostly they treat this waste as electronic waste. However, batteries extracted from the system are recycled as per the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022.
According to Parmar, there is a need for a specific proposal for solar waste management by the end of this year. But she also mentions that the government does not have the required data on the number of informal waste recyclers who are involved in the job. According to experts, this lack of data and regulations about informal workers is leaving them in a precarious situation.
Rules in Effect but No Action
Since last April, India’s E-Waste Management Rules 2022 has been in effect. Under this, it is mandatory for solar panel manufacturers to dispose of and recycle their products’ waste. Their duties include collecting, storing, and dismantling the panels, and also establishing the recycling facilities.
According to the rules, manufacturers have to store their cell and panel waste until 2035. It is the 1st time that 2022 rules mandate responsible handling of e-waste, specifically from PV systems. However, even after a year, these rules are still not fully implemented.
The deputy director at the National Institute of Solar Energy, Richa Parmar said, “We are disposing of the photovoltaic modules and recycling electric batteries. But that is still at a nascent stage. Though everything is in the pipeline, we are working on a robust methodology to recycle solar waste while also taking into account the safety of the workers involved in recycling.”
Potential Steps
Hidden effects of India’s solar boom are increasing waste challenges. Now, handling solar waste is becoming an economic and logistical challenge.
Professor Solanki said, “Our economy is built on increased consumption and production across all sectors, including solar panels. Every form of manufacturing inevitably affects the environment. The real solution lies in reducing energy consumption rather than solely relying on sustainable alternatives, which can also become unsustainable if driven by continuous production.”
According to Parmar, the government is working towards establishing R&D agencies to sort out the solutions.