UNSW has launched Australia’s first dedicated solar panel recycling research hub with AUD 5 million in funding
The initiative targets to move the end-of-life solar panels towards recycling instead of landfills, to develop a circular solar economy
It focuses on improving recycling technologies, building supply chains, and reducing landfill use
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has launched the Australian Research Council (ARC) Hub for Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability on campus as the country faces an estimated 100,000 tons of PV waste annually by 2030.
Funded by an AUD 5 million grant from the ARC’s Industrial Transformation Research program, the hub is the country’s 1st research initiative dedicated to developing a circular solar economy, according to the university.
Hub Director Professor Yansong Shen estimates that over the next decade, Australia will see 3.5 million solar installations reach the end of life. With the hub, the goal is to move the panels away from landfill and towards recycling in a circular economy where these can be recovered and reused.
The hub is already working on finding better ways to recover valuable materials from old solar panels, says UNSW. It is developing improved technologies to more efficiently separate and sort panel components. Redesigning technology is also being explored to make panels easier to recycle.
Additionally, the hub will also create a network of researchers to improve the entire value chain of solar panel production. It will create jobs, support new supply chains, and improve the country’s sustainable energy security.
“We will know we’ve achieved our objectives when solar panel waste is no longer seen as a problem, but as part of a sustainable system,” according to Shen.
“As we accelerate towards a net-zero future, we must ensure the technologies enabling that transition are themselves sustainable,” said UNSW Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise, Professor Bronwyn Fox. “This Hub brings together world-leading Australian engineers, scientists, policy makers and industry to transform end-of-life solar panels from an emerging waste challenge into a valuable resource, helping build a circular economy and strengthening Australia’s clean energy leadership.”
At present, only 17% of end-of-life solar panels are recycled in Australia. Reusing around 1/3rd of the end-of-life panels can contribute up to 24 GW of energy by 2040, according to the Smart Energy Council (see Australia’s Solar Panel Waste Could Unlock 24 GW By 2040).
In March 2026, the government also announced a National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot to set up about 100 collection sites across the country and recycle up to 250,000 panels (see Australia Launches Call For National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot).
“Australia's story has been a remarkable sunrise, but this hub will ensure that the sunset is just as good,” stressed Matt Thistlethwaite, the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Earlier this year, the Australian Parliament launched an investigation into solar panel reuse and recycling. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water will inquire into current and projected waste volumes from end-of-life solar panels, the comparative costs, and potential benefits of expanding the reuse and recycling of solar panels.
The committee reportedly held its 1st public hearing on April 1, 2026, to question officials from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) about the current status and preparedness of the country in solar panel recycling.