Japan Solar Update: No.125 (Dec 2 ~ 6, 2024)
The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) recently held joint meetings of the Working Group for PV Facility Recycling (METI) and the Subcommittee for PV Facility Recycling Scheme (MoE) and discussed the cost burden of recycling, etc.
In the discussion, based on the principles of “waste generators’ responsibility” on the business operators and “extended producer responsibility” on the producers, the WG presented a proposal of categorizing the costs on recycling into the cost for demolition, etc. and the cost for recycling, a proposal of limiting the target of mandatory recycling to PV modules, and so on.
<Key points>
- The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) held four times of joint meetings in October 2024 to promote the design of a scheme for the disposal and recycling of PV modules
- In principle, all PV modules are subject to the scheme and recycling is mandatory
- It is appropriate to assume that the person who bears the cost of demolition, etc. should be the owner of the equipment
- It is necessary to have an organization that manages information on the whereabouts of equipment and business discontinuation, including non-FIT/non-FIP systems
Main deliberations on the design of a disposal and recycling scheme for PV modules
Point of discussion
1:
Goods
Ensure proper disposal and recycling, and in principle, all PV modules are subject to the scheme
- Non-FIT/non-FIP systems, which are expected to increase hereafter, and equipment that has already been installed are also covered by the scheme
- Examine the scope of the scheme and the strength of discipline according to the format and type of installation
Establish a scheme to mandate the recycling of used PV modules
Mandatory recycling, the concept of removing, collecting and transporting PV modules, and measures against the PV modules left unattended after the project is terminated
Point of discussion
2:
Cost
It is appropriate to assume that the person who bears the demolition cost, etc. should be the owner of the equipment
Regarding the payment method for demolition cost and other expenses, the certainty of securing costs, etc. are to be compared by dividing it into the following: 1) lump sum accumulation before the start of the project; 2) installment accumulation during the project period, and 3) lump sum payment at the time of equipment removal
The burden of recycling costs is divided into cases where the owner of the equipment bears the burden and the case where the manufacturer bears the burden, and is to be examined taking into account the impact on the recycling cost of society as a whole and referring to the examples of other laws and regulations
Point of discussion
3:
Information
For non-FIT/non-FIP systems, similar to the cases of FIT/FIP systems
- It is necessary to collect and share information on substances contained in PV modules from manufacturers, etc.
- Establish a scheme to grasp information on the whereabouts of equipment and the discontinuation of power generation projects, etc.
- The best timing to grasp information is when PV systems are installed
- Information management requires an organization and platform that manages it intensively and so on
Interviews with local governments and trade associations were conducted for the second day in a row
- Current status of PV module removal and recycling work, and consideration of reuse and glass recycling
- Fukuoka Prefecture’s initiatives, the opinions of REASP, a renewable energy power generation business association, and the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) were heard
Figure 1 Main deliberations on the design of a disposal and recycling scheme for PV modules
Source: Materials of the 2nd to 5th Joint Meetings of the Working Group for PV Facility Recycling and the Subcommittee for PV Facility Recycling Scheme (October 2024), compiled by RTS Corporation