Disposal of used solar panels is expected to be a big problem in Japan in the coming decade after solar power generation spread rapidly following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Many panels have been installed across the country since the triple-meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings’ Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. These panels, which typically last 20 to 30 years, will begin to reach the end of their service life in the next decade.
The annual amount of solar panels discarded as waste is seen peaking at some 500,000 tons in the early 2040s, putting a major strain on industrial waste treatment facilities.
