Photovoltaic (PV) Panel Waste Volumes

Summary

Beyond general waste regulations, various approaches have been specifically developed to manage end-of-life PV panel waste. This series summarizes the financial principles of panel waste management as well as the enabling framework headings.

WEEE Directive Targets

The WEEE Directive follows a phased approach toward collection and recovery targets outlined in Table 1. Collection targets increased from 45% (by mass) of equipment "placed on the market" in 2016 to 65% or 85% of waste generated as of 2018 from equipment "placed on the market." Recovery targets increased over the same timeframe from 75% recovery and 65% recycling to 85% recovery and 80% recycling. Recovery should be understood as a physical process that results in the recovery of a specific material stream or fraction from the general waste stream. On the other hand, recycling should be understood in the context of processing and preparing the recovered stream for reuse. E-waste recovery quotas for specialized equipment such as PV panels are specified in a separate directive published by the European Commission in 2008, detailing minimum processing requirements and technical processing standards and specifications. This two-pronged approach enables the implementation of "high-value recycling" processes. The European Commission has also committed to further developing methodologies that establish individual collection and recycling targets for PV panels. Recovery of materials that are rare or have high embodied energy and also potentially contain hazardous substances shall be considered according to the European Commission's 2013 directive. Future revisions of the WEEE Directive may require increasingly cost-effective, high-quality, and high-efficiency recovery and recycling processes as they become available. They will minimize material losses to society that could occur through "downgrading." The term "downgrading" refers to deterioration of the intrinsic material or energy value through the use of secondary raw material for new purposes (for example, using high-quality semiconductor scrap silicon as fill for street construction). In addition to quotas and processing requirements, the revised WEEE Directive also refers to PV panel-specific measures to prevent illegal shipments (European Parliament and Council, 2006) and new trade obligations (Directive 2012/19/EC, Article 14). Modified provisions on trade include, for example, the need to provide end users with information about environmental impact. Similarly, they include establishing appropriate collection mechanisms and accepting old products free of charge when new ones are purchased (European Parliament and Council, 2012). The WEEE Directive establishes minimum requirements that member states can adjust when transposing the directive into their own legislation. For example, they may define stricter requirements or target quotas and additional requirements. At the time this report was published, all EU member states had incorporated the WEEE Directive into national legislation, sometimes with country-specific regulations added. This can create difficulties for manufacturers because virtually every member state has applied somewhat different definitions regarding extended producer responsibility. Since the Directive was transposed into domestic law very recently (in some cases as early as early 2016), no statistical data on PV collection and recycling was available in 2016. [caption id="attachment_144795" align="aligncenter"] Table 1. Phased approach to collection and recovery targets[/caption]  

WEEE Directive Financing Plans

Under the WEEE Directive, among the varying requirements for end-of-life PV panels, the waste stream is classified as "waste from private households in France" and there is the option of classifying waste as "waste from other users than private households in the United Kingdom." These different definitions have implications for waste responsibilities as well as collection and recycling financing. Another important issue that emerged during transposition into domestic law is the different cost estimates among member states for improvement. Two financing approaches can be distinguished in the WEEE Directive: • Individual pre-financing or collective joint and several liability plans; • Contractual arrangements between manufacturer and customer (depending on B2C or B2B transaction). Implementation of the original 2003 WEEE Directive showed that pre-financing approaches were only practical for e-waste sold in very small quantities, such as specialized e-waste (for example, custom-made refrigerators). For this reason, pre-financing plans for collection and recycling of high-volume e-waste such as PV panels have not proven to be cost-effective. Producer pay-as-you-go (PAYG) approaches combined with final worker insurance and collective and joint liability producer plans are today more widespread, although the revised 2012 directive still allows pre-financing plans. While the revised WEEE Directive mandates an effective financing mechanism, it distinguishes between private household or business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions and non-private household or B2B transactions. The regulation is flexible on the responsible party (owner or manufacturer) and financing methods. This depends on the characteristics of the PV system (e.g., system size) and the characterization of PV panels in the relevant member state. For example, France mandates that all PV panels be classified as B2C products regardless of system size or other product characteristics. From 2016 onward, PV panels will need to be rapidly included in new or existing waste management systems to achieve the ambitious WEEE Directive recycling targets. Various national plans of EU member states, having managed other parts of the electrical and electronic waste stream for years, organize collection, processing, recycling, and reporting to regulators. These can serve as an important reference point for managing growing PV panel waste streams. In our next article, we will continue with Germany's WEEE targets and financing plans. Wishing you healthy days…     Dr. Cemil Koyunoğlu Department of Energy Systems Engineering Faculty of Engineering Yalova University