South Korea's new regulations establish a standardized collection system for each major region in the country to ensure a recycling/reuse rate of more than 80% for spent battery panels.
At a recent ministerial meeting convened by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) approved a long-awaited recycling program for solar panels.
The new regulations establish a standardized collection system for major regions across the country and aim to ensure that the recycling/reuse rate of waste battery panels reaches more than 80% within three years, in line with the current level in the European Union. At the same time, the plan also laid the foundation for the creation of a departmental statistical system.
The scheme aims to encourage the full reuse of solar modules before their final recycling. At the same time, it will also introduce certification under the framework of the Ecological Assurance System (ECOAS), which restricts the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
The South Korean government predicts that by 2025, photovoltaic waste will reach 1,222 tons, 2,645 tons in 2027, 6,796 tons in 2029, and 9,632 tons in 2032. As of the end of December 2021, the country's installed solar capacity will be around 22 GW. In 2021, the newly installed photovoltaic capacity will be about 4.4 GW.
South Korea plans to install 30.8 GW of solar power generation facilities by 2030.