Under The Sun: The Hidden Trails of Solar Waste

About four billions photovoltaic (PV) panels will have to be replaced by 2050, globally. What to make of this gigantic waste stream remains unclear, while it will have immense consequences for people and the environment.

In Italy, the team got access to the case file of an ongoing police investigation into illegal trafficking of solar waste. Scouring through hundreds of pages of court records, we were able to report on how an alleged criminal enterprise, comprising of several waste management companies, has been exporting tons of solar waste to African countries, disguising them as second-hand panels.   

In Bulgaria, internet websites are flooded with offers for very cheap second-hand solar panels that come mainly from Italy, Germany and Austria. The team found that unscrupolus actors may be selling these panels online, in order to avoid paying the costs of proper recycling.

In Romania, a poorly-conceived state program meant to equip over 140,000 households with solar panels is forcing the premature replacement of solar technology only a few years after it was installed, despite having a potential 20-year lifespan.

Key findings:

• A criminal organisation active in Italy has been illegally exporting to African countries photovoltaic panels that were supposed to go to waste treatment plants instead;   
• Poor quality photovoltaic panels are flooding the African markets, causing high risks for people and the environment, as well as reducing people's trust in this technology;   
• Online sales of second-had PV panels are very common in Bulgaria, but often these modules are of very low quality, and sold by companies that should have provided for their disposal and treatement instead;
• A badly designed state program in Romania was meant to equip over 140,000 houselds with solar panels, but is now causing the premature replacement of the technology used, only a few years after its deployment.