Six departments issue documents to promote the comprehensive utilization of photovoltaic modules and drive the industry toward "full-chain decarbonization"

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and the National Energy Administration recently jointly issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Comprehensive Utilization of Photovoltaic Modules” (referred to as the “Opinions”), proposing specific measures in areas such as green design, orderly disposal, efficient disassembly, and full industry chain collaboration.

Several experts interviewed by Shanghai Securities Journal stated that the “Opinions” establish a closed-loop management system of “green production—standardized decommissioning—high-efficiency utilization,” promoting the photovoltaic industry from “scale expansion” to “full-chain low-carbonization,” providing systematic institutional arrangements to address large-scale module decommissioning, resource security, and environmental control.

Clear phased goals

The “Opinions” aim to comprehensively improve the level of photovoltaic module recycling, setting phased targets: by 2027, further enhancement of green production standards, increased use of recycled materials, improved standards for module disposal evaluation and testing methods. It also calls for the development of technical standards for green design and comprehensive utilization of photovoltaic modules, nurturing leading enterprises in waste module recycling, with a cumulative utilization volume reaching 250,000 tons.

By 2030, the technological level of photovoltaic module recycling equipment will be further improved, industry innovation capacity significantly enhanced, application scenarios and methods for recycled products continuously expanded, forming a tightly coordinated industry chain upstream and downstream, with rational capacity layout and the ability to handle large-scale decommissioning waves.

Wang Peng, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told Shanghai Securities Journal: “Currently, the amount of decommissioned modules in China is growing rapidly each year. This policy will mitigate potential environmental risks and create new economic growth points for the industry, pushing the photovoltaic sector toward higher-quality development after price cycles.”

Data from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association confirms the necessity of policy implementation: by 2025, China will begin generating a large number of decommissioned photovoltaic modules; after 2030, the waste volume will peak at about 1.4 million tons; by 2040, the total waste will reach approximately 20 million tons.

It is understood that photovoltaic modules contain high-value recyclable materials such as silicon, silver, copper, and aluminum, as well as hazardous substances like lead and fluorine—if not properly handled, these harmful substances can leach into soil and water sources, causing serious environmental pollution. Conversely, proper standardized recycling can turn these waste modules into valuable “urban minerals.”

Driving upgrades in the photovoltaic recycling industry

The “Opinions” systematically deploy the recycling and utilization of photovoltaic modules. In the green design phase, it encourages manufacturers to adopt easy-to-disassemble and easy-to-separate adhesive materials, explore non-crosslinked structural adhesive films, and select environmentally friendly raw materials such as fluorine-free backplanes and lead-free solder strips, creating conditions for efficient disassembly and reuse after disposal. It also supports cooperation between photovoltaic glass, crystalline silicon material, junction box manufacturers, and recycling resource companies to increase the proportion of recycled materials.

Regarding the critical step of disposal evaluation, the “Opinions” specify accelerating the research and formulation of evaluation technical standards for module disposal, encouraging the use of drone-based EL imaging detection, thermal imaging, AI online monitoring, and other methods to effectively identify the integrity and power attenuation of modules. It also guides manufacturers and photovoltaic power stations to standardize the sale of waste modules and supports the establishment of trading platforms for waste photovoltaic modules.

The “Opinions” emphasize technological breakthroughs, calling for accelerated research into high-efficiency disassembly techniques, developing intelligent, adaptive disassembly systems capable of handling multiple sizes and types of modules, and promoting mobile, modular quick-disassembly equipment, adopting an “on-site disassembly” mode. In separation processes, research will focus on the bonding mechanisms of adhesive films, enriching and improving low-cost separation technologies, and overcoming physical, chemical, and new separation methods for mono- and double-glass crystalline silicon modules.

In the component purification stage, the “Opinions” encourage extracting silver from the metal grid lines of silicon solar cells, exploring non-acidic or weakly acidic leaching processes, and researching reagent recycling in acid-based silver extraction. It also supports extracting copper, lead, tin, and other metals from solder strips and busbars, and categorizing and utilizing silicon from modules. Focused on key application industries such as non-ferrous metals, building materials, and chemicals, it aims to expand the application scale of comprehensive utilization products.

Chen Li, Chief Economist and Director of the Research Institute at Chuancai Securities, told Shanghai Securities Journal that these measures will push the upgrade of the photovoltaic recycling industry. Green design, easy disassembly, and high recyclability will become industry standards, with material systems and manufacturing processes optimized and upgraded.

Promoting full industry chain collaboration for comprehensive utilization

Currently, the photovoltaic recycling industry faces issues such as insufficient economic viability and chaotic “small workshops”—the profits from module recycling often do not fully cover transportation, disassembly, and recycling costs, and illegal disassembly behaviors further distort market order.

To address these issues, the “Opinions” call for promoting full industry chain collaboration in photovoltaic module recycling. It encourages long-term stable cooperation between module manufacturers, power stations, and recycling companies; focusing on regions like Northwest, East China, and North China, it promotes large-scale development of recycling industries, encouraging nearby and local utilization to reduce transportation costs.

On policy support, the “Opinions” specify leveraging the national industry-finance cooperation platform to guide financial institutions to provide credit support for green technological upgrades and waste module recycling projects. It also supports incorporating advanced disassembly and precious metal recovery technologies into the “National Directory of Green Low-Carbon Processes, Technologies, and Equipment in the Industrial and Information Sectors,” and accelerating the formulation of industry standards for waste module utilization, timely releasing lists of compliant enterprises, and cultivating leading industry companies.

Chen Li believes that the next decade will be a critical period for the development of the photovoltaic recycling industry. With improved policy systems, mature intelligent sorting technologies, and the implementation of responsibility mechanisms, the industry will evolve from “end-of-life management” to “full-cycle recycling.”

Wang Peng believes that the “Opinions” will have a profound impact: in the short term, achieving the goal of 250,000 tons of cumulative utilization by 2027 will directly boost orders in disassembly equipment manufacturing and rare metal recovery sectors, with leading recycling companies gaining more market share through standardized management lists; in the medium term, module manufacturers will accelerate green design upgrades, increasing recycled material use to gradually reduce raw material costs, and establishing standardized decommissioned module sale mechanisms; in the long term, as domestic recycling systems improve, China’s photovoltaic industry will form a “technology leadership—scale advantage—circular economy” triple barrier, gaining influence in global green trade rules.