Solar Panels: Government Should Revise Recycling System

Editorial

16:37 JST, September 14, 2025

An unusual situation has arisen in which the government gave up on submitting to the Diet legislation to promote solar panel recycling, due to deficiencies in its content. Alternative measures to promote the recycling must be urgently considered.

The government has announced it will consider reviewing the legislation, which would make it mandatory to recycle solar panels. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Environment Ministry designed the system based on discussions by an expert panel, but the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, which examines bills, has raised questions over the legislation.

Currently, most power generation operators dispose of used solar panels in landfills because this costs significantly less than recycling the panels.

Given the situation, the government created a system in which large-scale solar panel manufacturers and importers would bear the cost of recycling, in order to make it easier for power generation operators to recycle panels.

However, this scheme created a contradiction with recycling systems for home appliances and other products in which the owner, not the business, bears the cost. The government must reflect on its failure to conduct a basic review of the legislation.

Recycling solar panels is increasingly important.

This is because solar panels, which became widespread following the Great East Japan Earthquake, are expected to be disposed of in large numbers starting around the mid-2030s.

The government has set a target to significantly increase the share of solar power in the power mix from 9.8% in fiscal 2023 to between 23% and 29% by fiscal 2040. Waste comprising used solar panels will inevitably continue to increase.

If the situation is left unaddressed, recycling will be delayed, and landfill sites could reach their capacity. Solar power is central to a government strategy of expanding renewable energy sources. Recycling solar panels is a critical issue.

If the reuse of solar panels is promoted, large quantities of valuable resources such as silver, copper and aluminum can be extracted. Glass, which accounts for about 60% of the weight of a solar panel, can also be utilized for insulation materials and concrete.

Now that it has become difficult to require manufacturers and importers to bear recycling costs, the government needs to draw up alternative legislation.

For instance, one possible option is to require major companies engaged in solar power generation to report their recycling rates. Businesses are being called on to adopt environmentally conscious management practices. If the government makes public the recycling situation of such companies, that could encourage other parties involved in solar panel businesses to make efforts.

It is also important for the government to support research and development in such fields as technologies for recovering metals and materials at low cost. To encourage recycling businesses to enter the sector, it will also likely be necessary to support capital investment in recycling facilities.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 14, 2025)