The ARC Research Hub for Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability (ARC Hub PVRS) has formally submitted a national policy recommendation paper to the Australian Parliament and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), urging stronger coordinated action to address Australia’s rapidly growing end-of-life solar panel challenge.

The submission highlights the urgent need for Australia to develop advanced photovoltaic (PV) recycling capabilities and establish a sustainable circular economy framework for solar energy technologies.

Australia currently leads the world in rooftop solar deployment, with more than 4.3 million PV systems installed nationwide. However, ARC Hub PVRS warns that the success of Australia’s clean energy transition is now creating a parallel challenge: managing increasing volumes of solar panel waste in an environmentally responsible and economically viable way.

According to the submission, annual PV waste volumes in Australia are projected to exceed 100,000 tonnes by 2030–2035.

Professor Yansong Shen FTSE, Director of ARC Hub PVRS, said the issue extends far beyond waste management.

“Solar panel recycling is not simply about diverting waste from landfill. It is fundamentally about whether Australia can build long-term industrial capability in critical material recovery, advanced manufacturing, and circular economy innovation,” Professor Shen said.

The submission argues that current PV recycling technologies remain at an early stage of technical and commercial maturity. While up to 95% of solar panel materials may theoretically be recyclable, only a small fraction is currently recovered domestically, primarily aluminium frames and junction boxes.

ARC Hub PVRS is calling for a national policy framework that supports:

• advanced downstream recovery technologies for silver and silicon;

• next-generation industrial recycling processes;

• long-term university–industry collaboration;

• pilot-scale technology validation and commercialisation;

• coordinated national R&D platforms; and

• independent technical review mechanisms for publicly funded recycling initiatives.

The Hub also emphasises the strategic importance of recovering silver from end-of-life solar panels, noting that the global PV industry is becoming increasingly dependent on silver supply. Emerging high-efficiency solar technologies are expected to further increase silver demand over coming decades.

The submission states that strengthening Australia’s downstream recycling capability could reduce supply chain risks while creating new economic opportunities in resource recovery and sustainable manufacturing.

ARC Hub PVRS brings together leading Australian universities and industry partners to develop scalable solutions across the entire PV lifecycle, including advanced recycling technologies, value-added reuse of recovered materials, policy development, lifecycle assessment, and design-for-recyclability.

The Hub believes Australia now has a critical opportunity to become a global leader in sustainable PV resource recovery and circular solar economy development.

“If Australia wants to build a world-class PV recycling industry, we must invest not only in technology, but also in the research systems, industrial partnerships, governance frameworks and long-term coordination that enable innovation to scale,” Professor Shen said.

The full submission, titled Submission to the Australian Parliament and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Advancing Australia’s Future in PV Recycling and Sustainability, was submitted on 7 April 2026.