Alberta Bans Solar Panels From Landfills
Alberta will ban solar panels from being disposed of in landfills beginning Oct. 1 as the province launches what it says will be North America’s first solar panel recycling program.
The program is intended to ensure solar panels are directed toward reuse and recycling once they reach the end of their useful lives, recovering materials that would otherwise be sent to landfills.
Alberta has the second-largest installed solar capacity in Canada, and that capacity continues to grow. By 2045, more than 95 per cent of the solar panels currently installed in the province are expected to reach the end of their useful lives, potentially generating as much as 72,700 tonnes of material.
“Alberta has never been afraid to lead. We will not wait until mountains of dead solar panels are piling up in our landfills before acting. We are putting the system in place now to recover valuable materials, attract private investment and build a new recycling industry here in Alberta,” said Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.
Solar panels contain a number of recoverable materials, including glass, aluminum, silicon, silver, copper and other metals. Under the new system, those materials will be recovered for potential use in new products rather than being buried in landfills.
“Responsible solar energy growth means considering environmental responsibility throughout its lifecycle. By planning ahead to ensure expired panels are properly collected and materials are reused where possible, we’re protecting taxpayers from future cleanup costs and keeping power affordable and sustainable for generations to come,” said RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Affordability and Utilities.
Beginning Oct. 1, an environmental fee of $14 will apply to each new solar panel supplied in Alberta. The fee will be used to fund the future collection, transportation and recycling of panels.
The province says the fee would represent less than 1.5 per cent of the overall cost of a typical residential solar installation. It will apply only to new panels supplied after the program begins, with no retroactive fee charged on panels already installed.
“As Alberta’s renewable energy sector grows, recycling solar panels is the logical next step in building a stronger circular economy: maximizing resource use, reducing waste, and delivering long-term value for Albertans. We look forward to working with government and industry to support the successful implementation of this important initiative,” commented Ed Gugenheimer, chief executive officer of the Alberta Recycling Management Authority.
The funding collected through the environmental fee is intended to ensure money is available when panels eventually need to be collected, transported and recycled, rather than leaving those costs to municipalities and taxpayers in the future. The fee is also intended to help cover the recycling of legacy panels already in use, despite no retroactive fee being charged on those installations.
Most solar panels have an expected lifespan of approximately 25 years.
“Sunset is pleased to see the Government of Alberta putting legislation and programming in place to support a circular economy for solar panels. These steps will save materials from ending up in our landfills and keep them in the Alberta and Canadian economies. The commitment to end-of-life management further enhances the sustainability of our industry and we are pleased to support this initiative,” said Dan Carrocci, president of Sunset Renewable Asset Management Inc.
The province and the Alberta Recycling Management Authority will work with industry to develop reuse and recycling capacity in Alberta as the volume of panels reaching the end of their useful lives increases.
The solar panel initiative follows changes made to Alberta’s electronics recycling regulation in 2024, when the province expanded the regulation to include solar panels, wind turbine components and electric vehicle batteries.
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