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India is trying to formulate guidelines as early as possible for recycling of solar modules and wind turbines to decrease waste and enhance availability of raw material for future.
The Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, said that waste generation from old solar modules is expected to start in the next two to three years, and efforts are underway to encourage recycling and reprocessing to reduce import dependence and turnaround times.
Terming recycling of solar module waste and wind turbine blades a priority, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said that the issue is currently governed under e-waste rules, and a process to formulate guidelines is underway for separate kinds of products after stakeholder consultation. Noting that e-waste rules mandate preservation of wasted modules till 2035, when India is likely to have sufficient volumes for recycling, he said that the initial installations will be maturing between 2033 and 2035.
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He stated that the proposed guidelines will mandate manufacturers to produce modules with higher recyclability. While noting that recyclability is already fairly high for wind turbines, he pointed out that technological solutions were previously unavailable for the epoxy used in blades, which offers the high strength and durability needed to withstand wind loads for decades.
However, he highlighted a recent agreement signed between Suzlon and the Aditya Birla Group, where epoxy can be fully recycled to manufacture completely recycled blades, noting that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be formulated for other manufacturers too. He added that the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) is also preparing an SOP for battery recycling, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and for Lithium Phosphate and other chemicals used inside batteries.
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