Solar Waste:India Targets Circular Economy as Solar Waste May Reach 600 KT by 2030

With the support of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has estimated that cumulative waste from existing and future solar installations in India could reach around 600 kilo-tonnes by 2030, highlighting the growing need for robust recycling and waste management systems.

To address this challenge, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, which include provisions for the environmentally sound management of e-waste generated from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has also operationalized an online Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal to streamline e-waste management.

The Government of India has initiated several measures to promote domestic recycling capacity and strengthen circular economy practices in the renewable energy sector. Committees have been constituted to develop action plans for transitioning from a linear to a circular economy across 11 focus areas, including solar panels. MNRE has also established a dedicated Committee on Circular Economy in Solar Panels.

Further, MNRE launched the “Innovation Challenge for Circularity in Renewable Energy Technologies – Batteries and Solar Photovoltaic” under its Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development (RE-RTD) programme, aimed at supporting innovation in recycling, second-life applications, and circular design.

In addition, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has issued a call for proposals on “Recovery and Recycling of End-of-Life Solar PV Panels/Modules”, encouraging academia–industry collaboration to develop viable recycling technologies.

The Ministry of Mines (MoM) has also introduced a ₹1,500 crore recycling incentive scheme under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) to build domestic capabilities for recovering critical minerals from e-waste, including solar PV modules and lithium-ion batteries.

This information was shared by Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.