Australia opens tender for National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot administrator

The tender, now open through AusTender, closes at 17:00 AEST on 24 April, with an industry briefing scheduled for 13:00 AEST on 9 April.

The approach to market follows the Australian government’s commitment of AU$24.7 million (US$17 million) over three years to address the growing challenge of solar waste management.

According to government data, only 17% of solar modules are currently recycled in Australia, despite the potential to unlock up to AU$7.3 billion in benefits through reduced waste and material reuse.

With millions of rooftop solar modules approaching end-of-life, the pilot represents a crucial intervention to prevent increased volumes reaching landfill.

The administrator selection process comes at a pivotal moment for Australia’s circular economy ambitions.

Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen has emphasised the programme’s dual benefits, stating that recycling initiatives will ensure solar modules become “renewable energy themselves” while creating local employment opportunities and supporting domestic manufacturing capabilities.

The pilot will test real-world solutions for collecting, transporting and recycling end-of-life solar modules, with particular focus on examining key challenges, including the high cost of transport, especially in regional areas.

Building on policy momentum

The tender launch builds on significant policy development over the past year. Plans to develop the national solar module reuse and recycling scheme first emerged in August last year when federal, state and territory governments affirmed their intention to build a nationally mandated scheme.

The initiative is a direct response to sustained industry advocacy, particularly a joint statement from over 60 organisations calling for mandatory product stewardship for solar PV modules.

The federal programme also follows on from Australia’s formal investigation into solar waste management earlier this year, which examined the scale of the challenge facing the nation as its solar installation base matures.

The investigation highlighted the urgent need for coordinated national action to prevent environmental damage and capture the economic value embedded in retired modules.

The pilot programme will establish collection infrastructure across metropolitan and regional Australia, addressing one of the most significant barriers to effective solar recycling: the economics of collection and transport.

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.

However, the bulky, low-density nature of modules makes transport costs prohibitive in many cases, particularly for regional installations.

The three-year pilot timeline allows for comprehensive data collection and programme refinement before potential expansion to a permanent national scheme.

The programme will work with state and territory governments to improve sustainable solutions and consider findings from the Productivity Commission inquiry into Australia’s circular economy opportunities.

Australian module manufacturer Tindo Solar’s CEO Richard Petterson has previously highlighted the scale of the recycling challenge ahead with PV Tech Premium.

If Australia installed around 1TW of solar modules over 25 years, the nation would need to recycle around 40GW of modules annually to maintain those assets.

Even with a less ambitious 500GW installation target, 20GW of modules would still require recycling each year, underscoring the critical importance of establishing viable collection and processing infrastructure now.