NGT issues notice to Centre, others over improper recycling of used solar panels

NGT seeks Centre's response on improper disposal of PV solar panels, highlighting environmental concerns and lack of recycling infrastructure.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a response from the Centre on the improper disposal and recycling of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

The green body was hearing a letter petition filed by a farmer in Uttar Pradesh claiming lack of proper disposal facilities for used solar panels.

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In an order dated December 23, a Bench of NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A. Senthil Vel said, "The case of the applicant is that solar panel is utilised for generating energy for irrigation in agricultural fields in his village under the Kusum Yojna since 2019, and he has highlighted the gap in the life cycle management of damaged solar panels."

The Bench said as per the petition, these solar panels could not be repaired and were required to be discarded as scrap, but there was a lack of "proper disposal infrastructure", requiring these panels to be buried or sent to landfills, which adversely affected soil quality.

The NGT said the plea raised various issues, including the panels having limited scrap value, as scrap dealers only accepted the aluminium, copper and glass components of PV panels while the remaining substances, including polymers and silicon, were non-recyclable and needed to be sent to landfills.

It said the "PV panels contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium, which could leach into soil and water, causing long-term environmental damage", and that there was also no "established mechanism for safe disposal or recycling of damaged solar panels" in the region.