Delhi-based Jakson Engineers, a subsidiary of Jakson Group, has signed an agreement with a European technology provider, Ecoprogetti, to set up a solar module recycling plant in India. The facility will be capable of recycling roughly 500,000 or 300 MW of solar modules annually.

The recycling plant will process 60 panels or 1.62 tons of material per hour. This will translate to over 13,500 tons of solar waste processed per year. Jakson said the facility will support the scientific, safe, and environmentally sound handling of end-of-life solar panels.

In June, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued draft guidelines for the collection and storage of waste from solar modules and cells.

Solar waste refers to end-of-life solar modules or cells that are discarded whole or in part as waste. It includes rejects and waste generated during manufacturing, refurbishment, and repair processes. It also covers solar modules that were damaged during transportation, handling, storage, and installation.

The management of waste generated from solar photovoltaic modules, panels, and cells was brought under the ambit of the E-Waste Management Rules, 2022. According to CPCB guidelines, every manufacturer and producer of solar modules and cells must store the waste generated until 2034-35.

Solar and e-waste recycling is gradually gaining momentum in India.

Earlier this year, the Gujarat Energy Development Agency invited expressions of interest for a research study to recover valuable materials from solar and electronic waste. The project aims to assess the feasibility of material recovery methods and develop an implementation roadmap to aid Gujarat’s renewable energy and waste management sectors.

In October, Beyond Renewables & Recycling, a solar module recycling startup, raised ₹50 million (~$563,281) in pre-seed funding led by Momentum Capital to accelerate the development of its proprietary recycling technology, strengthen its waste supply chain, and scale operations.

The government has also approved a ₹15 billion (~$170.19 million) incentive program to develop India’s recycling capacity for separating and producing critical minerals from secondary sources such as e-waste and lithium-ion battery scrap.