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 “Opinions”). The document proposes 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.” This provides a systematic institutional framework to address large-scale module decommissioning, ensure resource security, and maintain 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, cultivation of leading enterprises in waste module recycling, with a cumulative utilization volume reaching 250,000 tons.

By 2030, the technical equipment level for module recycling will be further improved, industry innovation capabilities will be significantly strengthened, and the application scenarios and methods for recycled products will continue to expand. The industry chain will be closely coordinated, with rational capacity layout, capable of handling 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 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. Improper disposal could lead these harmful substances to leach into soil and water sources, causing serious environmental pollution. Conversely, proper recycling can turn these waste modules into valuable “urban minerals.”

Driving upgrades in the photovoltaic recycling industry

The “Opinions” lay out a systematic plan for module recycling. In green design, 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 after disposal. It also supports cooperation between glass, crystalline silicon, junction box manufacturers, and recycling resource companies to increase the proportion of recycled materials.

Regarding the critical step of disposal evaluation, the “Opinions” emphasize accelerating the development of technical standards for module decommissioning evaluation, encouraging the use of drone-based EL imaging, thermal imaging, AI online monitoring, and other methods to effectively identify the integrity and power decay 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 decommissioned modules.

The “Opinions” highlight technological breakthroughs as a key task, proposing to accelerate research on high-efficiency disassembly techniques, develop intelligent systems capable of recognizing and disassembling various sizes and types of modules, and promote 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 the theoretical system for low-cost separation techniques, and overcoming physical, chemical, and new separation methods for monocrystalline and bifacial silicon modules.

In the component purification stage, the “Opinions” encourage extracting silver from the metal grid of silicon solar cells, exploring non-acidic or weakly acidic leaching processes, and recycling reagents in the silver extraction process. It also supports extracting copper, lead, tin, and other metals from solder strips and busbars, and categorizing silicon elements for utilization. Focus will be placed on expanding applications in non-ferrous metals, building materials, and chemical industries.

Chen Li, Chief Economist and Director of the Research Institute at Chuan Cai Securities, told Shanghai Securities Journal that these measures will push the industry toward upgrading. 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”—profit margins from recycling do not fully cover transportation, disassembly, and recovery costs, and illegal disassembly behaviors distort market order.

To address these issues, the “Opinions” emphasize promoting full industry chain collaboration in module recycling. It encourages photovoltaic module manufacturers and power station operators to establish long-term, stable cooperation with recycling companies; focus on regions like Northwest, East China, and North China to scale up recycling industries; and promote local and nearby recycling to reduce transportation costs.

Policy support includes leveraging national industry-finance cooperation platforms 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, with timely release of enterprise lists and cultivation of leading industry companies.

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

Wang Peng notes that the “Opinions” will have a profound impact: in the short term, the goal of 250,000 tons of cumulative utilization by 2027 will boost orders in disassembly equipment manufacturing and rare metal recovery, with leading recycling companies gaining more market share through standardized management; in the medium term, module manufacturers will accelerate green design upgrades, increasing recycled material use to gradually reduce raw material costs, and establishing standardized decommissioning 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.