NGT issues notice to Centre, others over improper recycling of used solar panels

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Centre and others seeking reply about alleged improper disposal and recycling of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.

The principal bench of the NGT headed by its chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava was hearing a petition filed by a farmer in Uttar Pradesh claiming lack of proper disposal facilities for used solar panels.

"The case of the applicant is that solar panel is utilised for generating energy for irrigation in agricultural fields in his village under the Kusum Yojna since 2019, and he has highlighted the gap in the life cycle management of damaged solar panels," order by the NGT bench which also comprising expert member A Senthil Vel said,

The bench said as per the petition, these solar panels could not be repaired and were required to be discarded as scrap, but there was a lack of "proper disposal infrastructure", requiring these panels to be buried or sent to landfills, which adversely affected soil quality.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said the plea raised various issues, including the panels having limited scrap value, as scrap dealers only accepted the aluminium, copper and glass components of PV panels while the remaining substances, including polymers and silicon, were non-recyclable and needed to be sent to landfills.

It said the "PV panels contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium, which could leach into soil and water, causing long-term environmental damage", and that there was also no "established mechanism for safe disposal or recycling of damaged solar panels" in the region.

"The letter petition raises substantial issues relating to compliance of environmental norms, especially the implementation of the provisions of E-Waste (Management) Rules," the tribunal noted.

The NGT sought replies from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).

The matter was posted for further proceedings on February 10.