The government has abandoned the obligation to recycle used solar panels, as reported by Sankei Shimbun.
Since 2012, mega-solar farms have proliferated due to government subsidies, leading to large-scale deforestation and the installation of vast numbers of solar panels. However, these panels have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years, resulting in a significant amount of waste once they’ve reached the end of their life cycle. If these panels cannot be reused, they will become industrial waste.
From the latter half of the 2030s onward, it’s anticipated that around 500,000 tons of industrial waste will be generated annually. The question arises: who will be responsible for disposing of this waste? Disposing of industrial waste incurs substantial costs. Additionally, the number of power generation companies going bankrupt has surged; in 2024, for instance, 52 companies closed down. Since 2020, seven out of 19 bankrupt solar power plants account for approximately 30% of these closures, with this trend expected to continue.
If left unchecked, companies that expanded the mega-solar business without proper planning may abandon the used panels once their lifespan is over, leading to a situation where discarded panels are left abandoned. This would represent significant environmental destruction, especially considering that forests, which take centuries or even millennia to form, are being destroyed to make way for these projects.
The expansion of mega-solar farms has been bolstered by the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) system, which mandates power companies to purchase electricity generated from renewable sources. However, the funds for this system come from an additional charge on our household electricity bills, which ultimately flows to manufacturers, including those in China. This system was established in 2012 under the Noda administration and is seen by many as a deeply flawed policy.
While promoting measures for combating global warming and protecting the environment, the unintended consequences of the renewable energy charge raise serious concerns. Environmental measures should be approached with a more comprehensive perspective.
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