The government of Queensland has unveiled a new AUD 5.5-million pilot programme aimed at facilitating the recycling of solar panels, allowing their components to be reused at the end of their lifecycle. The initiative is part of the Solar Stewardship Scheme, launched approximately a year ago, which seeks to prohibit the disposal of solar panels in landfills.
The programme is expected to facilitate the recycling of thousands of panels from residential, commercial photovoltaic (PV) installations, and large-scale parks, the state government announced on Friday. Almost half of the total funding, around AUD 2.5 million, will be allocated to ensuring that residential solar panels are repurposed for parts instead of ending up in landfills. The remaining AUD 3 million will be distributed as grants to the Smart Energy Council (SEC), the Queensland Renewable Energy Council (QREC), and the Clean Energy Council (CEC).
SEC will manage the pilot programme, which is set to involve up to five locations in metro and regional Queensland. Mick de Brenni, Minister for Energy of Queensland, highlighted the potential for job creation in recovery and processing activities, stating, “With up to five locations in metro and regional Queensland set to host the pilot, we expect to see a significant uplift in opportunity to create new jobs in recovery and processing activities.”
