Australia’s growing fleet of solar installations has prompted renewed scrutiny of how the industry will manage end-of-life panels, with a parliamentary inquiry examining opportunities to expand reuse and recycling capabilities across the country.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water held a public hearing in Canberra on 3 June 2026 as part of its inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling. The inquiry was referred by the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Murray Watt, in January this year.
During the hearing, Committee members questioned officials from the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) about emerging photovoltaic technologies and their potential role in supporting a circular economy for solar panels.
Areas of discussion included printable solar cells, perovskite-based technologies and tandem solar cells, with the Committee exploring how future panel designs could improve material recovery and recycling outcomes.
Committee Chair Anne Urquhart MP said the inquiry was focused on understanding how research and innovation could improve the reuse and recycling potential of solar panels deployed across Australia.
“We’re keen to unpack the barriers to reuse and recycling of solar panels… including further research and development required into ways to sustainably recycle silicon, silver and copper from panels, and a current lack of capital investment for specialised recycling machinery,” Ms Urquhart said.
The inquiry is considering a broad range of issues associated with solar panel waste management, including current and projected waste volumes, disposal practices, and the comparative costs of reuse, recycling and landfill disposal.
It is also examining the potential economic, environmental and supply chain benefits of expanding Australia’s onshore recycling industry, including the recovery of materials such as glass, aluminium, copper, silver and other critical minerals.
The Committee will additionally assess existing policy and regulatory frameworks, market development opportunities and alternative policy measures that could support greater reuse and recycling of solar panels at scale.
For more information about this Committee, visit the Parliament of Australia website.
