Circular solar: Industry must prepare for mounting e-waste from solar panels, study warns

clock • 3 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership warns industry needs plan to manage wave of e-waste as swathes of solar panels approach end of life

Solar panel waste could total 200 mega tonnes by 2050, as the renewables sector continues to grow and older solar technologies are decommissioned when they reach the end of their lifespan. That is...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Recycling

'Take it to Timpson': MusicMagpie and Timpson team up for new smartphone takeback service

'Take it to Timpson': MusicMagpie and Timpson team up for new smartphone takeback service

New service aims to make it easier for people to trade in old smartphones, allowing them to receive payment in minutes

James Murray
clock 20 January 2026 • 3 min read
Rare-earth magnet recycling facility opens in Birmingham

Rare-earth magnet recycling facility opens in Birmingham

New recycling facility commissioned by University of Birmingham can recover earth alloys and process them into new magnets for electric motors

James Murray
clock 16 January 2026 • 4 min read
How Kingspan turned a billion recycled PET bottles into 'springboard' for sustainability

How Kingspan turned a billion recycled PET bottles into 'springboard' for sustainability

Kingspan’s head of sustainability, Holly Loughman, reflects on how the company achieved an ambitious circularity target ahead of schedule

Stuart Stone
clock 15 January 2026 • 8 min read