The state government has earmarked over EUR 10 million in its 2026-27 budget to prepare for a growing wave of end-of-life solar panels and embedded batteries.
The announcement comes as Australia faces mounting pressure to improve solar panel recycling. Currently, only around 17% of retired panels are recycled, while most are landfilled, stockpiled or exported.
The funding will be channelled through the state’s Remade in WA initiative. Around EUR 7.3 million will support solar panel collection and recycling pathways. A further EUR 1 million will support programme delivery.
State energy and manufacturing minister Amber-Jade Sanderson says the investment is designed to future-proof waste management systems. ‘More solar panels and batteries are coming into use every day and we need systems to manage them at end of life, reducing waste and supporting a circular economy,’ she says.
Sanderson underlines that the funding forms part of a wider clean energy package. Additional investments include battery storage projects, renewable energy training centres, green steel development and grid infrastructure upgrades. For example, EUR 1.7 million will fund battery collection points at local authority facilities.
The investment reflects the rapid growth of solar power across Australia. Western Australia alone is home to vast solar installations stretching across remote landscapes and regional communities.
Among them is the Merredin Solar Farm, which operates around 360 000 panels and generates enough electricity to power tens of thousands of homes annually.
However, the success of solar energy creates a new recycling challenge. Australia is expected to generate around 90 000 tonnes of solar panel waste each year by 2030.
To provide a regional solution, WA region has built a dedicated solar panel recycling plant is operated by Cyber Recycling in Canning Vale, near Perth. It opened in January, with an initial processing capacity of around 2 500 end-of-life panels a year. This will eventually be ramped up to 22 500 tonnes.
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