Proper management of the lifecycle of renewable generation assets is critical to ensure that the environmental benefits of clean energy are not offset by waste management challenges.
While renewable generation technology has advanced rapidly, the accompanying technology to recycle these systems has not kept pace, which presents technical, environmental and economic challenges.
Challenges in recycling renewable generation systems
The rapid deployment of renewable energy systems has led to a corresponding increase in decommissioned equipment, and this trend will accelerate as more systems reach the end of their operational life. Effectively recycling these materials is essential to prevent environmental degradation and to recover valuable resources.
Wind turbines
Wind turbines are predominantly made up of recyclable metal components, such as steel, aluminium, copper and cast iron, alongside non-metal composite materials such as fibreglass and carbon fibre. Approximately 85–94% of a wind turbine’s mass can be recycled in Australia.1 The composite materials however pose significant recycling challenges.
Currently, there are limited commercially feasible end-of-life options to dispose of composite materials. These materials are difficult to recycle, as the polymers used are ‘cross-linked’ in an irreversible process to achieve durability and strength while maintaining a lightweight.2 As there is no widespread method for recycling fibreglass, a significant portion of turbine blades end up in landfills.3
As of 2023, 31 Australian wind farms are over 15 years old, with 599 wind turbines approaching the end of their design life.4 By 2034, an estimated 15,000 tonnes of blade composite waste will have been created in Australia due to decommissioning.5 As more turbines reach the end of their lifespan, prompt action needs to be taken to develop effective recycling strategies and infrastructure.
The most common recycling method for wind turbine blades is mechanical grinding, whereby composite materials are ground into short fibres and ground matrix (powder). Although this method is cost-effective and less energy-intensive than other technologies, the end product is less valuable than the original material.6
The shredded material is used as filler or reinforcement in construction, such as decking panels, light poles, and cement. Low market demand however prevents this process from being a sustainable recycling option.7
Solar panels
Australia has one of the highest global rates of per capita rooftop solar installations. This success is however accompanied by a looming waste management issue. While more than 85% of a solar photovoltaic (PV) module is made of recyclable materials (like aluminium and glass), solar panel recycling is currently not cost-effective or widely adopted.8
As of August 2023, only 17% of solar panel components, primarily aluminium frames and junction boxes, are recycled in Australia.9 The remaining 83%, including glass, silicon, and polymer back sheets, are not recyclable within the country and are often treated as waste.10 Our previous article: Australia’s Solar Panel Recycling Challenge and Market Outlook further discusses the challenges and barriers in Australia’s solar panel recycling.
With over 1.2 million solar panels estimated to be decommissioned in Queensland alone in 2025, existing facilities are struggling to keep pace. Pan Pacific Recycling in Brisbane, Queensland’s first solar panel recycling plant, started operation in 2024 and currently processes 30,000 panels a year.11 Though the plant aims to scale up to processing 240,000 panels a year,12 it is still only a small portion of the discarded solar panels – only 20% in Queensland in 2025.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
The increased adoption of BESS, particularly lithium-ion batteries (LIB), underlies the energy transition by enabling the storage of intermittent renewable generation. The recycling of these batteries are however fraught with challenges, such as energy-intensive processes and the management of hazardous materials.
Major challenges in recycling LIBs stem from the diversity in their chemical compositions and designs,13 resulting in the cost of recycling being higher than mining new materials.14
The Australian battery recycling rate was around 10% by 2021,15 indicating a significant gap in managing end-of-life batteries. There is very little Australian capacity for processing LIBs, with the result that large volumes are stored in warehouses and scrap yards, creating a fire risk and potential environmental contamination.16
Technology advancement and future opportunities
Fortunately, as renewable energy technologies evolve, so do the methods for managing their end-of-life materials.
Wind turbines
Wind turbines are increasingly recyclable, due to advancements in recycling technologies and the evolution of manufacturing materials. For example, Siemens Gamesa is committed to producing 100% recyclable wind blades by 2040,17 with the first recyclable wind turbine blade, using a new resin material, installed for commercial offshore use in 2021 at Kaskasi off the German coast.18
Vestas is developing a chemical process to break down epoxy resin in old turbine blades into reusable base materials.19 Another pilot-scale method, high-voltage pulse fragmentation, uses electricity to separate fibres from composite materials. This process yields cleaner, longer fibres than traditional mechanical methods.20
In Australia, the Australian Government awarded a $3 million grant to Industrial Property Maintenance through the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) initiatives in 2023. This will be used to develop a new processing treatment and a pilot recycling facility for wind turbine blades.21
Solar
The major challenge in PV recycling is the durable seal that protects solar cells and ensures the solar panel’s longevity. This seal, made of polymer sheets laminated between glass panes, is difficult to separate and complicates the recycling process.22
In the U.S., the Department of Energy is funding projects to reduce waste from solar modules from when they are being made. One approach uses sealants that can be dissolved without damaging other panel materials,23 which makes it easier to deconstruct solar panels. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab is developing a better way to seal the solar modules. Using a femtosecond laser, the researchers welded together solar panel glass without the use of polymers. These glass-to-glass precision welds are durable enough for outdoor use and offer better protection against corrosive moisture.24
BESS
The widespread adoption of LIBs raises concerns regarding their environmental impact and the scarcity of critical resources. While conventional recycling methods present environmental and efficiency challenges, new electrochemical techniques show considerable promise in terms of enhancing selectivity, reducing energy consumption and minimising the production of secondary waste.25 These methods are being developed to be waste-free and requires minimal chemical consumptions or energy inputs, while achieving high lithium recovery efficiencies of up to 97%.26 Although not yet commercialised, the future looks promising.
Looking ahead
Embracing a circular economy, where materials are reused and recycled, can significantly reduce environmental impacts and create economic value. Australia’s Circular Economy Framework supports this, especially by listing minerals beneficiation as one of the priorities, aiming to extract valuable minerals from waste and renewable technologies (such as batteries and solar photovoltaics).27
While challenges remain, recycling of renewable generation assets can be advanced through the harmonisation of regulation and financial support for research. Australia’s regulatory and financial initiatives will promote stronger industry collaboration and encourage industry investment, which eventually foster infrastructure improvements for sustainable waste management.
These interventions will support recycling, and contribute to the creation of a circular economy for renewable generation assets.
The Hamilton Locke team advises across the energy project life cycle – from project development, grid connection, financing, and construction, including the buying and selling of development and operating projects. For more information, please contact Matt Baumgurtel.
1Clean Energy Council, ‘Wind Turbine Recycling Report 2023’, <https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/Wind-turbine-recycling-report-2023.pdf>
2Energy Magazine, ‘Retiring Wind Turbines: Reuse, Repurpose, or Recycle’, <https://www.energymagazine.com.au/retiring-wind-turbines-reuse-repurpose-or-recycle>.
3Science Feedback, ‘Most Used Wind Turbine Blades Go to Waste, but Their Footprint Is Still Relatively Small’, <https://science.feedback.org/review/most-used-wind-turbine-blades-go-to-waste-but-their-footprint-is-still-relatively-small/>.
4Clean Energy Council, ‘Wind Turbine Recycling Report 2023’, <https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/Wind-turbine-recycling-report-2023.pdf>
5Ibid.
6Ibid.
7Ibid.
8U.S. Department of Energy, ‘Beyond Recycling: Reducing Waste in Solar Modules Before They’re Even Made’, <https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/beyond-recycling-reducing-waste-solar-modules-theyre-even-made>.
9Sustainability Victoria, ‘National approach to manage solar panel, inverter and battery life cycles’, < https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/recycling-and-reducing-waste/product-stewardship/national-approach-to-manage-solar-panel-inverter-and-battery-lifecycles>
10Rong Deng et al, Scoping Study: End of life management in Australia, ACAP and UNSW <https://www.acap.org.au/post/research-reports?fbclid=IwAR1HYWy0_S7j5RwrF2519NIEVYAEmeQjumZtBNuaqKABZjyuv7rosnEml0c>
11The Guardian, ‘Through the Roof: How a Brisbane Shed is Turning Old Solar Panels into Silver and Copper’, <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/23/australia-renewable-energy-solar-waste>.
12The Guardian, ‘Through the Roof: How a Brisbane Shed is Turning Old Solar Panels into Silver and Copper’, <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/23/australia-renewable-energy-solar-waste>.
13MIT Climate, ‘How Well Can Electric Vehicle Batteries Be Recycled?’, <https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-well-can-electric-vehicle-batteries-be-recycled>.
14Institute for Energy Research, ‘The Afterlife of Electric Vehicles: Battery Recycling and Repurposing’, <https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/the-afterlife-of-electric-vehicles-battery-recycling-and-repurposing/>.
15CSIRO, ‘Lithium-ion Battery Recycling’, <https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/energy/energy-in-the-circular-economy/battery-recycling>
16Ibid.
17Siemens Gamesa, ‘RecyclableBlade’, <https://www.siemensgamesa.com/global/en/home/explore/journal/recyclable-blade.html>
18RWE, ‘RWE Tests World’s First Recyclable Wind Turbine Blade at Its Offshore Wind Farm Kaskasi’, <https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-renewables/2021-09-07-rwe-tests-worlds-first-recyclable-wind-turbine-blade-at-its-offshore-wind-farm-kaskasi/>.
19Vestas, ‘Vestas Unveils Circularity Solution to End Landfill for Turbine Blades’, <https://www.vestas.com/en/media/company-news/2023/vestas-unveils-circularity-solution-to-end-landfill-for-c3710818>.
20Clean Energy Council, ‘Wind Turbine Recycling Report 2023’, <https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/Wind-turbine-recycling-report-2023.pdf>
21Australian Government, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, ‘Supporting Eggcellence in Cooperative Research’, <https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/husic/media-releases/supporting-eggcellence-cooperative-research>.
22IEEE Spectrum, ‘Femtosecond Lasers Solve Solar Panels’ Recycling Issue: Glass welding seals PV panels without requiring troublesome polymers’, <https://spectrum.ieee.org/solar-panel-recycling>.
23Stefanie Arnold et al., ‘Electrochemical Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries: Advancements and Future Directions’, EcoMat, vol. 6, no. 11, 2024, <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eom2.12494>.
24IEEE Spectrum, ‘Femtosecond Lasers Solve Solar Panels’ Recycling Issue: Glass welding seals PV panels without requiring troublesome polymers’, <https://spectrum.ieee.org/solar-panel-recycling>.
25Stefanie Arnold et al., ‘Electrochemical Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries: Advancements and Future Directions’, EcoMat, vol. 6, no. 11, 2024, <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eom2.12494>.
26Nature Sustainability, ‘Electrochemical lithium recycling from spent batteries with electricity generation’, Nature, vol. 418, no. 93, 2024, <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01505-5>.
27Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia’s Circular Economy Framework, 2024, <https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/australias-circular-economy-framework.pdf>.
