Sol Vind Policy Innovation Lab - SVPI Lab

For a future fossil-free electricity production to achieve sustainable power supply, the entire value chain in renewable energy needs to become sustainable. Research funds have been invested in the development of renewable energy in wind and solar; however, there are knowledge gaps in managing these energy sources after their technical lifespan. This was established in RiR 2023:11, with the conclusion that there is a lack of data to develop appropriate policy instruments, and more resources are needed to build a functioning waste management system for these structures. The review of how blades and solar panels are handled in the current system reveals significant shortcomings in existing legislation.

Worn-out blades end their life in energy recovery through incineration or in landfills, despite this being contrary to the intention behind existing legislation. Today, blades (that are not classified as hazardous waste) are considered construction and demolition waste. Since legislation has recently been tightened with collection and sorting requirements for recycling, it should be possible to prevent blades from going to incineration and/or landfill. At the same time, there is a landfill ban for products with more than 10 percent organic material. As the blades contain about 30 percent plastic, this means that they technically should not be landfilled in Sweden.

Since the installation of wind power took off during the 1990s and with an expected lifespan of 20-25 years, the volume of decommissioned wind turbine blades is expected to increase significantly from 2030. Therefore, there is a great need for new resource-efficient solutions within the waste hierarchy. Since landfill and incineration currently have a relatively low cost (2–4 thousand SEK per ton), newer material recycling solutions struggle to compete. To stimulate this value chain, new policy instruments and incentives are needed to enable actors to engage in more sustainable material recycling of decommissioned blades.

Solar panels are currently decommissioned in low volumes (17 tons in 2021). However, after 2045, a significant increase is expected due to the current rapid expansion and the technical lifespan of the panels. The panels fall under producer responsibility for the collection of electrical equipment (WEEE Directive) and are treated together with other electronic waste. Metals (aluminum, silver, copper) and to some extent plastic have been recycled, but silicon and glass, which are the main components of solar panels, cannot be recycled in the current recycling system. According to RiR 2023:11, there is ambiguity in today's legislation regarding whether all solar panels are covered by the producer responsibility for electrical equipment or not (large-scale fixed installations are exempt). This means that larger corporate facilities and large solar farms risk falling outside the regulatory framework. These ambiguities need to be considered and addressed in light of technological development, and policy instruments should be adapted to the large impending waste volumes. The IEA PVPS Task 12 has also published status reports on the recycling of solar panels in various countries and has assessed that circular measures such as repair are environmentally advantageous but economically challenging to justify under typical market conditions today. Targeted policy changes could improve the conditions for such resource-efficient measures.

To ensure future circular handling and prevent incineration and landfilling of wind turbine blades and solar panels, there is a significant need to influence future policies and regulations towards circular management. The detailed description of how current blades and solar panels are handled is provided in RiR 2023:11. Therefore, this project contributes to these areas:

1. Knowledge, expertise, and solutions to improve the ecological sustainability and resource efficiency of the electrical system. - Resource-efficient solutions for circular handling of blades and solar panels need to be developed to stimulate new actors to develop material recycling systems and to prevent improper waste management.

2. Knowledge of how circular flows can contribute to a sustainable electrical system has increased. - Technically approved decommissioned blades and solar panels can be included in reuse loops, thereby contributing to increased circularity. However, due to insufficient incentives and policy measures, the easiest and least costly solution of incineration and landfilling is currently chosen.

3. Costs and resource efficiency throughout the lifecycle of a power plant, regulatory adaptation, and recycling. - Today's regulations for handling wind turbine blades and solar panels have been reviewed in RiR 2023:11. They note shortcomings in governance; therefore, current policies must be developed to stimulate the establishment of a circular recycling of wind turbine blades and solar panels.

By developing new expertise in circular handling of solar panels and wind turbine blades, we contribute to strengthening competitiveness within the electricity sector, which can lead to the development of new innovative circular management solutions. Ultimately, this could position Sweden as a leading country within the EU in terms of circularity.