Solar industry at ‘critical juncture’ with circular economy crucial to UK government target

A brand new report on the photo voltaic {industry} warns “the time is now” to implement round financial system measures that assist it meet authorities Internet Zero targets.

The report “From Linear to Circular: Evidence from the UK solar sector” highlights a lot of round financial system initiatives which are main the best way, together with a undertaking the place used automotive tires might play a task in manufacturing photo voltaic panels, and one other the place outdated photo voltaic panels have been revived to be used within the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The report outlines and addresses environmental issues over the quantity of supplies embedded in UK photo voltaic installations (an estimated 152,523 tonnes of aluminum, 8,745 tonnes of copper and 667,947 tonnes of glass by the tip of 2023) and the way they may turn out to be a problematic waste stream sooner or later.

It advocates for a wholesale rethink of product design, materials use and end-of-life administration in order that supplies and merchandise are saved in circulation for so long as attainable, warning that that is crucial to the UK’s Internet Zero Technique and goal of 70 GW photo voltaic capability by 2035.

Report co-author Ananda Nidhi, an Impression Fellow on the Exeter Centre for the Round Economic system and CE-Hub of NICER program, mentioned, “By adopting round financial system ideas, the UK solar industry can improve useful resource safety and cut back reliance on usually risky international provide chains by prioritizing the reuse and recycling of supplies inside the UK.

“It might additionally sort out the estimated 1.2m tonnes of photo voltaic waste that may very well be generated by 2050 by retaining over $2 billion value of aluminum, copper and silver embedded in photo voltaic PVs in use, whereas on the identical time producing between $0.46bn from elevated recycling charges.

“A circular economy also has the potential to stimulate economic growth by creating new jobs and fostering the development of businesses in the repair, refurbishment and recycling sectors.”

The analysis workforce, which additionally included Professors Peter Hopkinson, Fiona Charnley and Markus Zils from the College of Exeter Enterprise Faculty and Ph.D. scholar Matt Burnell, interviewed photo voltaic {industry} specialists and stakeholders and carried out a literature evaluation earlier than developing an evaluation of the circulation of supplies within the UK photo voltaic sector with ahead projections to 2050.

The report outlines core areas of focus throughout the photo voltaic worth chain that may spark a transition to a really circular economy.

For supplies and merchandise coming into the provision chain this implies rising concentrate on sourcing sustainable supplies, designing merchandise which are extra simply reused, repaired and recycled, in addition to implementing methods to hint the origin and lifecycle of supplies to advertise transparency and accountability all through the provision chain.

Initiatives which are main the best way embody a NICER program-funded undertaking that explores the potential of utilizing recycled carbon black from used automobile tires in high-value functions like photo voltaic photovoltaics.

The undertaking’s analysis workforce discovered that carbon black from used tires might match and even surpass the efficiency of pure supplies, offering a round various to incineration or landfill for the 29 million tonnes of auto tires that attain the tip of their lifespan globally every year.

One other instance of product re-use is Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s collaboration with Cornish start-up Re-Photo voltaic to rescue and rehome photo voltaic panels, a undertaking which showcased the potential for a secondary marketplace for used photo voltaic panels.

The panels, which nonetheless had greater than 10 years of operational life, had been despatched to the Ukraine to assist present renewable decentralized energy to Ukraine at a time when its conventional power supply are below continuous risk.

The report additionally outlines round methods for merchandise already in use that goal to maximise their lifespan and decrease useful resource consumption.

Tasks main the best way embody start-up Re-Photo voltaic, which launched into a undertaking in 2022 to discover the power technology and reuse potential of broken solar panelsdemonstrating how refurbishment might assist the UK photo voltaic {industry} to cut back waste, lengthen operational lifespan and delay the purpose for recycling or disposal.

The report additionally identifies the limitations to circularity, resembling a scarcity of end-of-life insurance policies, design limitations and information gaps and addresses these limitations with suggestions for key stakeholder teams: policymakers/regulators, producers, provide chain companions, third-party/certification our bodies and educational establishments.

Nidhi added, “The time to do this is now. The UK solar sector is at a critical juncture, with substantial growth while operating on a linear model. By implementing the recommendations outlined in this report, the UK can lead the way in creating a resilient and sustainable solar energy industry.”