Used Solar Panel Disposal Likely to Be Big Problem in Japan

Tokyo, Jan. 5 (Jiji Press)--Disposal of used solar panels is expected to be a big problem in Japan in the coming decade after solar power generation spread rapidly following a huge nuclear disaster in 2011.

Many panels have been installed across the country since the March 2011 meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. These panels, which typically last 20 to 30 years, will begin to reach the end of their service life in the next decade.

The annual amount of solar panels discarded as waste is seen peaking at some 500,000 tons in the early 2040s, putting a major strain on industrial waste treatment facilities.

The government plans to submit legislation during the ordinary parliamentary session starting this month to establish a recycling system for the waste. But problems remain.

At present, the annual amount of solar panel waste is below 100,000 tons. But the amount is seen beginning to soar in the mid-2030s and exceeding 300,000 tons by 2040.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]