What happens to a solar panel when it stops producing power?
It’s a question Alberta is looking to answer now, rather than decades down the road.
Beginning October 1, 2026, solar panels will no longer be allowed in Alberta landfills. The province is also launching a recycling program aimed at managing the growing number of panels expected to be retired in the years ahead.
Alberta currently has the second-largest installed solar capacity in Canada, and that capacity continues to grow. According to the provincial government, more than 95 per cent of the solar panels currently installed in Alberta are expected to reach the end of their useful lives by 2045, resulting in as much as 72,700 tonnes of material.
Rather than sending those panels to landfill, the new program is intended to ensure materials such as glass, aluminum, silicon, silver and copper are recovered and reused.
“We will not wait until mountains of dead solar panels are piling up in our landfills before acting,” said Grant Hunter, Minister of Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.
“We are putting the system in place now to recover valuable materials, attract private investment, and build a new recycling industry here in Alberta.”
To fund the program, an environmental fee of $14 will be applied to every new solar panel supplied in Alberta beginning October 1, 2026. The province estimates a typical residential installation of 20 panels would see an added cost of $280, or less than 1.5 per cent of the overall installation price.
The fee will be used to cover the future costs of collecting, transporting, and recycling solar panels when they reach the end of their useful life, which is typically about 25 years. It will only apply to new panels supplied after the program takes effect and will not be charged on panels already installed.
Provincial officials say the goal is to ensure those future costs are covered through the program rather than being borne by municipalities and taxpayers decades from now.
“Responsible solar energy growth means considering environmental responsibility throughout its lifecycle,” said RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Alberta Affordability and Utilities.
“By planning ahead to ensure expired panels are properly collected and materials are reused where possible, we’re protecting taxpayers from future cleanup costs and keeping power affordable and sustainable for generations to come.”
The Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) will administer the program and work with industry as recycling volumes increase in the coming years.
The announcement builds on regulatory changes introduced in 2024, when Alberta expanded its electronics recycling program to include solar panels, wind turbine components, and electric vehicle batteries.
While most solar panels currently operating in Alberta still have years of useful life remaining, the province says putting a recycling system in place now will help manage growing volumes of retired panels in the future as solar development continues across the province.
Kara grew up on a grain farm near Bow Island, Alta. After studying at SAIT and the University of Calgary, where she earned a degree in communication and media studies and a diploma in broadcast news, she began her career in agricultural communications and journalism.
Live: —
Rail: 490.00-495.00 del
Live: —
Rail: 490.00-495.00 del
Live: 218.00 (IA)
Rail: 345.00 (IA)
Live: 218.00 (IA)
Rail: 345.00 (IA)
Over 500 lbs: 302.33
$72.22 0.34
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