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ETV Bharat / bharat
By ETV Bharat English Team
Published : June 2, 2026 at 6:19 PM IST
New Delhi: Ahead of World Environment Day, a report has claimed that India’s clean energy transition is generating growing volumes of solar panel and EV battery waste, with inadequate systems in place for safe recovery and recycling.
The report, which was released by Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group here on Tuesday, asserted that end-of-life solar panels are entering informal recycling chains and ultimately reaching landfills, exposing a major gap in the country’s clean energy transition.
Government’s Push For Solar Energy
According to the government, India’s shift towards solar energy is propelling its emergence as a global frontrunner in clean energy. The solar power capacity in India has witnessed a remarkable surge, reaching 129 GW in 2025, up from just 3 GW in 2014.
This substantial increase in solar installations over the past decade has been instrumental in doubling the country’s total installed electricity capacity. The rapid pace of installation is likely to lead to a significant rise in solar waste in the forthcoming years.
The expansion of solar energy fosters sustainability. However, improper handling of waste can pose environmental and health hazards.
Earlier in March, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, had issued the maiden guidelines for storage and handling of solar waste.
What Does The New Report Say?
The report entitled ‘More Watts, Less Waste: Strengthening Circularity in Emerging Waste Streams’, prepared by Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, pointed out a critical gap in India’s clean energy transition. It noted that while the country is expanding renewable energy and electric mobility at unprecedented speed, systems for managing solar panel and lithium-ion battery waste remain underdeveloped.
Researchers found that informal aggregators in states lacking dedicated solar recycling infrastructure routinely send collected e-waste to Delhi-NCR for processing. Once solar panels enter informal recovery chains, only aluminium frames and copper wiring are typically recovered. The remaining materials, including glass, silicon cells, polymer encapsulants and embedded metals, are often discarded after rudimentary processing and may ultimately enter landfills.
The report warns that this creates a new environmental and public health concern for Delhi, which is already grappling with legacy waste. Improper handling of solar panels can release hazardous substances into the environment and expose workers and nearby communities to health risks.
The challenge is expected to grow rapidly. India had already generated an estimated 146 kilotonnes of solar PV waste by the end of 2024. By 2047, cumulative solar waste could reach 11,221 kilotonnes, according to the report.
The study also raises concerns about the next wave of clean energy waste: lithium-ion batteries.
“Consumer electronics batteries are already moving through informal dismantling channels, while India’s rapidly expanding electric vehicle market is expected to generate large volumes of end-of-life batteries in the coming years. These batteries contain valuable materials but also present fire, explosion, and chemical exposure risks if handled improperly,” the report said.
Citing that India recorded more than 2 million EV sales in FY 2024-25, it said yet the infrastructure required for safe collection, storage, repurposing and recycling of EV batteries remains limited.
The report called for PV-specific Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) targets, dedicated recycling infrastructure, financial mechanisms to manage orphan waste, and greater integration of informal workers into formal collection systems.
It has also urged policymakers to begin planning now for the coming wave of end-of-life EV batteries.
Bharati Chaturvedi, Director, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, says that the current geopolitical developments have brought some urgent challenges and opportunities to the forefront.
“While pursuing the clean energy transition, we must avoid turning critical minerals into a new strategic dependency or a future waste crisis. For us, domestic recovery is the strategic hedge,” she told ETV Bharat.
Expert Views
Environmentalist Tannuja Chauhan, while expressing concern over the report, has emphasised that giving a fillip to renewable energy is crucial, but not at the cost of creating a new environmental disaster.
Pointing out that Delhi is already struggling under the burden of overflowing landfills, toxic air, and contaminated water sources, she said, “Allowing solar panel waste and EV batteries, which contain a range of hazardous materials, to enter the waste stream without robust recycling infrastructure will only exacerbate these existing environmental and public health challenges.”
Underlining that chemical and electronic waste should never be treated as ordinary garbage, the environmentalist said, “When dumped in landfills, toxic substances can leach into soil and groundwater, threatening ecosystems, wildlife, livestock, and human communities alike. The risks extend far beyond pollution; they include long-term health impacts, fire hazards, and irreversible environmental degradation.”
“Our waste management systems are under severe strain. The rapid expansion of solar energy and electric mobility has not been matched by equivalent investments in collection, recycling, recovery, and safe disposal infrastructure,” she said.
Chauhan emphasised that without strong producer responsibility, dedicated recycling facilities, and strict enforcement, “we risk creating mountains of hazardous waste in the name of sustainability”.
Referring to air quality in the national capital, she said, ” Adding poorly managed solar and battery waste to this crisis is neither sustainable nor responsible. If we fail to address the negative impacts of these technologies today, our future generations will pay a huge price for this so-called development done with short-sighted planning.”
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