The Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water has launched a formal inquiry into solar module reuse and recycling.
The group is seeking written submissions by 27 March 2026, as the nation grapples with mounting volumes of end-of-life solar PV modules.
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The parliamentary inquiry, referred by Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt, will examine current and future impacts of solar waste alongside Australia’s existing capabilities for module reuse and recycling.
Committee chair Anne Urquhart said the investigation aims to identify barriers to scaling solar module reuse and recycling through collaboration with industry, academia, and subject matter experts.
The inquiry comes weeks after the Albanese government announced a AU$24.7 million (US$17 million) national solar module recycling pilot programme, which PV Tech reported will establish up to 100 collection sites across the country over three years.
That coverage detailed how the pilot responds to sustained industry advocacy, particularly a joint statement from over 60 organisations calling for mandatory product stewardship for solar PV modules.
Australia faces a significant solar waste challenge as the nation hosts one of the world’s highest rates of rooftop solar adoption, with more than 4.2 million installations totalling over 20GW of capacity.
Current recycling rates remain low, with only 17% of solar module components being recycled, primarily the aluminium frame and junction box, while 83% of materials are treated as waste due to cost barriers that make recycling approximately six times more expensive than landfill disposal.
The parliamentary committee will assess existing disposal practices and compare the economic and environmental impacts of reuse, recycling, and landfill disposal.
The inquiry will also explore environmental, economic, and energy security opportunities from recovering valuable materials, including aluminium, glass, silicon, silver, copper, indium and germanium from end-of-life modules.
It will also assess Australia’s existing reuse and recycling capabilities while identifying additional requirements to support a sustainable circular solar industry.
The timing of the federal announcement aligns with growing recognition of PV module recycling’s central role in Australia’s clean energy transition plans.
As previously noted, solar modules contain valuable materials, including copper, silver, and aluminium, that can be recovered and reused to support continued renewable energy deployment while reducing dependence on virgin material extraction.
Given Australia’s strong solar credentials and anticipated growth over the coming years and decades, it is crucial to establish module-recycling facilities across the country.
This will help maintain a circular economy and safeguard against rare material shortages, such as copper and silver.
Australian module manufacturer Tindo Solar’s CEO, Richard Petterson, exclusively told PV Tech Premium that if Australia installed around 1TW of solar modules over 25 years to keep the assets running, the nation would need to recycle around 40GW of modules each year.
Should the country be less ambitious and install 500GW, Petterson added that 20GW of modules will still need recycling each year.
The committee expects to deliver findings that will inform national policy development for solar waste management, supporting Australia’s transition to a circular economy while maintaining the momentum of renewable energy deployment across residential, commercial, and utility-scale sectors.
