Solar Panel Recycling in India: What Happens to Solar Panels After 25 Years

Nearly ₹3,700 crore worth of materials is sitting on Indian rooftops right now. Most of it will become waste by 2040.

Solar panel recycling in India is still in its early days, and the country has very little capacity to handle old panels. If you own solar, start by choosing a trusted installer, keeping your panel details on file, and planning for disposal early.

India’s major solar boom happened between 2015 and 2020; millions of rooftop solar panels went up on rooftops and open fields during this time. This means a large wave of panels installed during that time will start reaching the end of their lifespan somewhere around 2040.

Most installers and homeowners still don’t think about proper solar panel disposal, but that gap will only widen unless the country builds solar panel recycling plants.

However, the government has taken an initiative. On June 1, 2026, the government’s ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers) List-II requirements mandated DCR (Domestic Content Requirement) panels. In DCR panels, both the solar cells and the module are manufactured in India. Once their lifespan is over, it’s easier to recover raw materials and create a closed-loop market.

This blog breaks down what actually happens to a solar panel after 25 years, why solar module recycling deserves attention, and what you, as a homeowner or business owner with rooftop solar, should actually do about it.

Source: CEEW(Solar Module Waste and Recycling Roadmap)

Why Solar Panel Recycling in India is Crucial Now

Solar panel recycling in India is crucial because the country is estimated to generate over 11 thousand kilotonnes of solar waste by 2047. If left unmanaged, this can harm the environment and public health. Some of the crucial reasons why you should start thinking about solar module recycling are mentioned below:

Source: CEEW

Estimated solar waste:

According to a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), knowledge partner to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s installed solar capacity of 66.7 GW as of FY2023 had already generated about 100 kilotonnes of solar waste. That number is projected to jump to around 340 kilotonnes by 2030. The same study projects India’s cumulative solar waste could reach close to 19,000 kilotonnes by 2050, since all the capacity installed up to 2030 will have reached the end of its life by then.

Source: CEEW / PV Magazine India

Toxic Hazards:

According to hazardous waste testing on solar panels, solar panels can have different metals present in the semiconductor and solder. Some toxic metals like lead and cadmium are harmful to human health and the environment at high levels. Under RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) law and regulation, if the toxic metals are present in high quantities in the solar panels, the solar panel waste could be hazardous.

In addition, discarded solar panels that are not being recycled properly can leach toxic metals, including lead, cadmium, and selenium, into soil and groundwater. This can also impact the environment and public health.

Source: EPA. gov (end-of-life solar panels regulations and management)

Reducing Import Dependence

Solar module recycling can also help to recover critical minerals that India imports. As already discussed above, the solar waste can reach 340 kilotonnes by 2030; this waste is estimated to contain about 10 kilotonnes of silicon and 12 to 18 tonnes of silver. Recovering them domestically through recycling could meaningfully reduce that import dependence

Source: PV magazine

Do Solar Panels Actually Stop Working After 25 Years?

No, solar panels do not stop working after 25 years. A 25-year period is simply the standard performance warranty window. It’s not an expiry date. Solar panels gradually lose their ability to convert sunlight into solar electricity over time, which is known as solar panel degradation.

During the first year, the solar panel such as mono-PERC and TOPCon, degrade by 0.7%* to 0.8%* during the 1st year. After the 1st year, the annual solar PV degradation rate becomes 0.5%* to 0.8%* per year. So even at the 25-year mark, a well-maintained panel is often still producing 80% to 90% of its original output.

So, the honest answer is, your solar panel doesn’t stop working after 25 years. It just produces a bit less power than it used to. Many systems in India keep running well past 30 years with proper solar maintenance.

*Please note: Based on internal case studies at SolarSquare, the above-mentioned solar panel degradation factor values are indicative and vary across installations depending on module type, manufacturing quality, environmental conditions, and system execution. Factors such as temperature, dust levels, humidity, handling during transportation, installation practices, and ongoing maintenance significantly influence the solar panel efficiency degradation rate. These ranges are not fixed for every module, as actual solar panel degradation differs based on project-specific conditions and long-term operational factors.

What Happens to a Solar Panel at End of Life?

Once the panels reach their lifespan, or their output drops, there are three realistic paths forward that you can take:

1. Continue using panels at reduced efficiency: If your solar panel is still producing a reasonable amount of power, you can keep using it for a few more years. Slightly lower output is often still better than no output at all, especially for smaller loads.
2. Repower or repurpose it: You don’t need to put old panels straight to scrap. You can resell them in secondary markets instead. You can also repurpose for low-power applications like charging batteries, powering small solar pumps, or off-grid setups where high efficiency isn’t critical.
3. Recycle or dispose of it: When a panel is damaged, extremely degraded, or physically breaking down, solar panel recycling should be the only route. This is also where scrap solar panels get real value back, since the raw materials inside them can be recovered and reused. Selling scrap solar panels to a certified recycler, rather than an informal scrap dealer, is what actually keeps that value in the formal economy instead of a landfill.

What’s Inside a Solar Panel? (Why Recycling Matters)

To understand why solar panel recycling efforts matter, it helps to know what’s actually sitting on your roof. A standard crystalline silicon panel, the kind used in most Indian installations, is made up of:

• Glass: makes up roughly 70% of the panel’s weight and is fully recyclable.
• Aluminium frame: highly recyclable and holds decent scrap value.
• Silicon wafers/cells: the core layer that actually converts sunlight into electricity.
• Silver paste: used in tiny amounts for electrical conductivity, but valuable at scale.
• Copper: used in the internal wiring and interconnects.
• Backsheet and polymer encapsulant: the protective layers, mostly non-recoverable with today’s technology.

Most of a panel’s weight and value sits in the glass, aluminium, and semiconductor materials, all of which are genuinely worth recovering rather than dumping in a landfill.

How Is a Solar Panel Recycled? (Step-by-Step Process)

Solar module recycling of major panel technologies, including crystalline silicon and thin-film panels, has recovery rates in 85%-90% range. Most solar panel mass is glass and metal, with semiconductor and conductive materials. The basic solar panel recycling process is given below:

• Collection and sorting: The process begins with collecting old or damaged panels from rooftops or solar farms and sorting them by type and condition.
• Frame and glass removal: Then, the aluminium frame is unscrewed or cut off, and the glass layer is separated. Both glass and aluminium can be recycled separately.
• Mechanical recycling: The remaining layers, cells, back sheet, and wiring are mechanically shredded and separated using crushers and sieves to isolate different materials.
• Thermal or chemical recovery: For higher-value materials like silicon and silver, specialised thermal or chemical processes are used to extract them with better purity.
• Material recovery and reuse: The recovered glass, aluminium, copper, silicon, and silver are sent back into manufacturing supply chains as raw materials.

Government Rules and Policy on Solar Panel Recycling in India

India has started putting a policy framework in place, though there’s still real ground to cover.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 (effective from April 1, 2023). For the first time, these rules formally brought solar photovoltaic modules, panels, and cells under India’s e-waste framework.

Source: PIB, Government of India

Under these rules, manufacturers and producers of solar panels are required to:

• Register on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) online portal
• Maintain an inventory of solar panels placed in the market
• Store solar panel waste generated up to the year 2034-35, following CPCB guidelines
• File annual returns on the portal
• Ensure recyclers meet CPCB-mandated material recovery standards

This falls under India’s broader Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, which is also being applied to overall e-waste recycling targets, currently set to rise progressively from 60% in FY24 to 80% by FY28.

Source: CPCB

In addition, CEEW has recommended setting up a dedicated Circular Solar Taskforce under MNRE and a centralised solar inventory system to track waste hotspots more effectively going forward. Without that kind of coordinated push, solar module recycling in India will keep growing far slower than the actual waste volumes demand.

Source: AL Circle

Cost of Recycling vs Landfill

Currently, recycling a solar panel costs more than simply dumping it. That’s not because the recycling technology doesn’t work; it clearly does, with recovery rates of 85-90%. But the real issue is economics. Collecting, processing, and transporting scrap solar panels costs huge money. Without a strong financial push, informal and cheaper disposal routes remain more attractive for homeowners and installers.

Until the cost of formal solar panel recycling in India comes down, or informal disposal becomes properly regulated and penalised, this gap will likely persist.

What Should Homeowners and Businesses with Rooftop Solar Do?

Before installing solar panels on a rooftop or business, you must ensure a few factors to promote solar panel recycling:

1. Check your panel and system warranty: Most manufacturers offer a ~25 to 30-year performance warranty, along with a product warranty of usually ~10-15 years. Know what is covered before replacing your panel. The idea is to use the panels as much as you can. You can check a solar panel warranty guide to know more.
2. Don’t dump old panels informally: If a panel does need replacing, avoid handing off scrap solar panels to local dealers. That’s exactly how solar panel disposal goes wrong, and hazardous materials end up in soil and groundwater.
3. Ask your installer about the panel’s end-of-life process: A reputable solar company will tell you what happens to panels once they’re decommissioned, whether that’s tie-ups with certified recyclers or structured buy-back options.
4. Prioritise proper maintenance now: Solar panel degradation is the main factor affecting your panel’s output over time. Regular cleaning and inspection can improve the efficiency beyond the 25-year mark. SolarSquare’s maintenance guide walks through exactly how to do this right.

While SolarSquare doesn’t provide solar panel recycling services directly, we do focus heavily on installing systems built to perform reliably well past the standard 25-year mark, backed by proper maintenance support.

Future of Solar Panel Recycling in India

India’s solar recycling story is still being written, but the direction is becoming clearer.

CEEW research suggests that recycling solar module waste could meet up to 60% of India’s silicon demand, 50% of aluminium demand, and 44% of copper demand for domestic solar manufacturing in the coming decades.

Source: CEEW

That’s a genuinely big deal for a country trying to build self-reliant solar manufacturing.

According to CEEW, recovering materials from India’s solar waste could create a circular economy worth close to ₹3,700 crore by 2047. Implementing this requires setting up roughly 300 recycling units nationwide, backed by an estimated investment of about ₹4,200 crore.

Source: AL Circle

Scaling up solar module recycling capacity now, instead of waiting until the 2040s wave arrives, is really the only way India avoids repeating the same infrastructure lag it saw with other e-waste categories.

Conclusion

Your solar panels aren’t a ticking clock. Most will keep generating meaningful power well past their ~25-year warranty. Solar panel recycling in India is slowly but surely building the infrastructure to handle it responsibly.

For now, the smartest thing you can do as a rooftop solar owner is make sure your system is installed right, maintained properly, and backed by a company that stands behind it long after the sale. That’s exactly what SolarSquare focuses on: quality installations, transparent warranties, and maintenance support designed to help your system perform at its best for decades, so you get the most out of your investment long before recycling ever becomes a conversation.

Get a free solar consultation with SolarSquare now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is solar panel recycling mandatory in India?

Solar panels fall under India’s E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, which require manufacturers to register and manage panel waste through the CPCB portal. However, enforcement is still developing, and there’s no dedicated recycling fund yet.

How much does it cost to recycle a solar panel in India?

According to CEEW, recycling a solar module currently costs a lot in India. This is higher than informal disposal, which is exactly the cost gap policymakers are trying to close.

What materials can be recovered from a recycled solar panel?

Materials including glass, aluminium, silicon, silver, and copper are the main recoverable materials from recycled solar panels. Most current recycling technologies can recover 85-90% of a panel’s total material content.

What happens if solar panels aren’t recycled properly?

Without proper solar panel disposal, panels often end up in landfills or informal scrap processing, which can release hazardous substances like lead and cadmium into soil and groundwater over time.

Do solar panels really stop producing power after 25 years?

No. Most panels degrade slowly, around 0.5% to 0.8% per year, and still produce 80-90% of their original output at the 25-year mark. Many systems keep running well beyond 30 years with good maintenance.

Who recycles solar panels in India?

India currently has only a handful of dedicated solar panel recycling plant facilities, alongside broader e-waste recyclers registered with the CPCB, that accept scrap solar panels. Capacity remains well below what the country’s growing installed base will eventually require.