Framework Targets Solar Panel Recycling Costs
Researchers have built a decision-support tool to assess recycling costs for photovoltaic panels in emerging economies.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Energy
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Researchers developed a decision-support framework for assessing photovoltaic panel recycling costs in emerging economies. The framework combines a systematic literature review with expert validation and weighting methods to strengthen circular economy practices and support resource recovery.
Why it matters
Recycling often appears less economically attractive than landfill disposal, and processing volume is a key cost driver. The framework responds to a widening gap between the environmental case for recycling panels and its commercial reality.
The framework was developed and validated in an emerging economy context with Brazil as the regulatory backdrop. Discarded panels could become a substantial waste burden within 15 to 20 years, but the extraction contains no operational cost data to confirm the framework's outputs.
The details
The framework uses a systematic literature review to identify recycling cost components, which are structured with the Function Analysis System Technique. Expert panels then validate those components using the Fuzzy Delphi method and Mean Rank Position, and Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis assigns relative weights to each cost category.
Timeline
2026: Solar expected to overtake natural gas as a major source of global electricity.
2027: Solar expected to overtake coal as a major source of global electricity.
Next 15 to 20 years: Discarded panels could become a substantial waste burden without effective recycling systems.
Energy Transition
Solar is projected to overtake natural gas by 2026 and coal by 2027 as a major global electricity source. That growth means the end-of-life waste stream of photovoltaic panels will expand, and this framework targets the cost question behind handling that stream.
Recycling costs will shape whether panels are recovered or discarded at end of life, affecting the resources available to the solar industry. Readers managing solar installations or waste planning should watch for how these cost figures are applied to actual recycling operations.
The takeaway
Solar's growth makes end-of-life planning for photovoltaic panels a near-term concern rather than a distant one. Tracking how recycling costs are measured and funded will determine whether panels become a resource or a waste burden.
Further reading
Explore more on Energy for related coverage of solar growth and the economics of renewable systems.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Green Building Africa.
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