A free community forum in Armidale next month will examine what happens to solar panels and other renewable infrastructure when they reach the end of their lifespan, as Australia faces a growing wave of solar waste.
The event, Closing the Loop: Recycling Solar in the New England, will be held at NOVA on Monday 4 May from 6pm to 7.30pm, bringing together experts and community members to discuss recycling, reuse and disposal of renewable energy technologies.
The issue of recycling is becoming increasingly important as more solar systems are installed across the country, with waste volumes forecast to rise sharply. Annual solar panel waste in Australia is expected to nearly double over the next five years, increasing from 59,340 tonnes in 2025 to more than 91,000 tonnes by 2030.
While much of that growth will initially be driven by household systems in metropolitan areas, regional communities are expected to see increasing volumes in the years that follow as large-scale solar farms reach the end of their operating life.
Electrify Armidale convenor Trevor Brown said the event would help communities better understand the full lifecycle of renewable energy.
“Communities are rightly focused on the benefits of renewable energy, but we also need to think about the full life cycle of these technologies,” he said.
“As more solar panels, batteries and large-scale renewable projects are rolled out, regional communities like Armidale need good information about reuse, recycling, decommissioning and the opportunities that may come with them.”
Despite the looming waste challenge, more than 95 per cent of a typical solar panel can be recycled, with materials such as aluminium, glass, copper, silver and silicon able to be recovered and reused.
The forum will feature speakers from local government, academia and industry, including representatives from Armidale Regional Council, the University of New England, RE-Alliance and the Smart Energy Council.
Discussions will also explore the concept of “retirement age renewables” and the potential for the New England to develop its own solar panel recycling hub.
“One ideal outcome would be a solar panel recycling hub located in the region,” Mr Brown said.
“That would help reduce transport barriers, support a regional circular economy, and make it easier to deal responsibly with end-of-life solar panels closer to where they are used.”
The idea of locally recycling solar panels has also been frequently raised as a potential way to generate more wealth and jobs from the New England Renewable Energy Zone.
Momentum is also building at a government level to support such an initiative, with Commonwealth, state and territory governments agreeing in August 2025 to progress a product stewardship scheme for solar panels, aimed at ensuring they are managed from installation through to end of life.
The Armidale event is being delivered through a collaboration between several local and regional organisations focused on sustainability and community energy, and is supported by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
Attendance is free, with registration required at https://events.humanitix.com/closing-the-loop
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