Towards a circular economy for end-of-life solar panels: Governance frameworks and techno-economic pathways

Abstract

Rapid growth in the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) technologies is speeding up the development of end-of-life (EoL) waste streams, resulting in governance challenges if we consider emerging economies. This study gives a comparative techno-economic and institutional evaluation of PV circularity in Taiwan using an operational extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime in Taiwan, and a policy in Thailand that is still in development and not yet complete. The integrated system of Taiwan with prepaid recycling fees, a digital life-cycle registry (PVIS), and accredited treatment facilities has allowed enforcing take-back and high mass-recovery of glass and aluminum. However, flat capacity-based fees provide poor incentives for eco-design and a poor economic return of high-value materials such as silver and high-purity silicon during the recovery phase, due to the delamination energy and refining costs. In Thailand, although the expansion of renewables and PDP 2024 (51% renewables electricity share by 2037) is known, PV-specific EoL governance has yet to be matched. The absence of EPR legislation and treatment capability creates the risk of material leakage and fiscal liabilities. Analysis of a recovery pathway through the use of solvent delamination and hydrometallurgical refinement at an industrial scale. Thai EPR framework with eco-fees, registry system and informal actor integration is proposed by the study. In absence of producer responsibility, environmental and economic risks will arise through the next decade.