A Gunnedah business owner fears his dire warning about a “tsunami” of discarded solar panels in Australia within the decade, is falling on deaf ears at government.
Gunnedah-based Mackellar Resources is looking to establish an end-of-life recycling solution for redundant solar panels. General manager Tim McKellar said the Gunnedah site, if developed, would be one of only two solar recycling facilities in the country.
“The solution we want to establish is a facility that can process up to five tonnes of panels per hour and that gives a 100 per cent recovery of panel components,” Mr Mackellar wrote in a letter to government.
The business owner said Gunnedah’s location is ideally suited to service the needs of nearby New England Renewable Energy Zone and the Central West Renewable Energy Zone, as well as local councils which do not want panels going into landfills or solar panel installers completing replacements and repairs to existing solar systems.
Mr Mackellar warned time is of the essence given the predicted “tsunami of end-of-life panels in the next 5-10 years” and that many state governments are already banning their disposal at landfill.
“We have the governments of Victoria, South Australia, ACT and Queensland enacting legislation that has banned the disposal of solar panels to landfill. The government of Western Australia is likely to follow this path before the end of the year,” he said.
Mr Mackellar also highlighted the great lengths which governments are pursuing start-up renewable projects but giving little-to-no support to the post-renewable industry.
“It seems somewhat ironic we have two levels of government that are actively promoting the virtues of renewable energy sources without too much focus on end-of-life solutions,” he said.
Mackellar Resources’ approaches to both and state and federal government have so far yielded limited interest.
A meeting was sought with the NSW Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Heritage, Hon Penny Sharpe MLC, to discuss his plans and bureaucratic challenges faced.
Last week the Minister’s office replied that a meeting would not be possible due to “heavy diary commitments” and instead referred his letter to the NSW Environment Protection Authority. “I am genuinely surprised that she would not see this as an emerging issue,” Mr Mackellar said.
Mark Coulton MP, who represents Gunnedah as part of the federal electorate of Parkes, did earlier help to facilitate a meeting with the Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic in Canberra. But due to Mr Husic’s parliamentary schedule, Mr Mackellar was unable to fully prosecute his case and is yet to receive any feedback from that meeting.
Mr Mackellar has also written to other MPs such as Tanya Plibersek, Chris Bowen, Kevin Anderson but received no response.
The Gunnedah solar recycling project would require initial investment of about $2-3 million. Mr Mackellar hoped the government would assist by way of low interest loans given its strong support for the renewable sector.
In a business case presented to the politicians, Mr Mackellar described solar energy as a cornerstone of Australia’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. This would include millions of homes with rooftop solar PV systems which will eventually need replacing.
Already stored at his Gunnedah site waiting to be recycled, are 8000 discarded solar panels – weighing more than 300 tonnes – that were damaged during construction of a Uralla solar farm.
Mr Mackellar said by 2030, Australia is projected to generate 145,000 tonnes of waste from PV panels, with up to 90 per cent potentially ending up in landfills.
“Recycling solar panels is not just an environmental necessity; it is a strategic business opportunity that aligns with Australia’s sustainability goals for a circular economy, economic interests, and social responsibilities,” the business case reads.
Just this week the NSW EPA did respond to enquiries and has offered to meet with the Gunnedah company.
The authority also described NSW as one of Australia’s leading jurisdictions for recyclers, with improved infrastructure now processing 140,000 tonnes of additional material per year.
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