Cyrille Martina: Creating article on solar panel waste management in Vietnam: volumes, EPR framework, treatment routes and traceability

2026-08-14T16:36:44Z

Creating article on solar panel waste management in Vietnam: volumes, EPR framework, treatment routes and traceability

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== Context ==

Vietnam experienced one of the fastest solar deployments in Southeast Asia between 2018 and 2021, driven by feed in tariffs. According to the Global Solar Power Tracker of Global Energy Monitor, the country now hosts more than 16,000 megawatts of operating utility scale solar capacity, a large part of it commissioned in 2019 and 2020.

This growth was not matched by an equivalent development of end of life infrastructure. Photovoltaic modules have a typical service life of 25 to 30 years, but losses begin much earlier through breakage, weather damage, manufacturing defects and early repowering. As a result, decommissioned panels are already accumulating on sites without an established treatment route.

== Volumes at stake ==

A common sector estimate places the mass of a photovoltaic installation at 60 to 80 tonnes per megawatt installed. Applied to the operating utility scale fleet of Vietnam, this represents in the order of one million tonnes of material to be handled over the coming decades, without counting distributed rooftop installations, which are numerous in the country but poorly documented.

The material composition of a standard crystalline silicon module is approximately 70 percent glass, 10 to 15 percent aluminium frame, 5 percent polymer encapsulant and backsheet, with smaller fractions of silicon, copper and silver. Most of this mass is recoverable through mechanical processing.

== Regulatory framework ==

Extended producer responsibility was introduced in Vietnam by the Law on Environmental Protection and implemented by Decree 08/2022/ND-CP and Circular 02/2022/TT-BTNMT, both effective January 2022, under the authority of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Producers and importers of regulated products must either organise the recycling of a share of what they place on the market, or contribute financially to the Vietnam Environment Protection Fund. Those choosing self recycling must register annual recycling plans and report results.

The practical application of this framework to photovoltaic modules is still developing, and operators should verify their own obligations with qualified local counsel.

== Treatment routes ==

Three routes coexist internationally and are relevant to the Vietnamese context:

* Reuse and second life, after electrical testing and grading, for modules that retain sufficient performance. This route is particularly relevant for export towards markets with strong demand for low cost generation capacity.
* Mechanical recycling, based on frame removal, glass separation and granulation, which recovers the bulk of the mass.
* High value material recovery, using thermal or chemical steps to extract silicon and silver, currently practised by a small number of specialised operators worldwide.

== Traceability and proof of treatment ==

A recurring difficulty for asset owners is not the physical treatment itself but the ability to prove it. Environmental audits, corporate sustainability reporting and extended producer responsibility declarations all require documented evidence that a given quantity of modules was collected and processed by an identified operator. Digital traceability tools, sometimes described as digital product passports, address this need by recording the chain of custody and issuing verifiable certificates per batch.

== Current initiatives in Vietnam ==

Several initiatives have been announced. IREX Energy, part of the SolarBK group, has announced a partnership with the Japanese company Hamada to build a module recycling unit near Ho Chi Minh City. First Solar operates recycling capacity within its Vietnamese manufacturing footprint for its own thin film technology. Research work has also been supported locally, for example the 5R Tech project funded through the US ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership. [[RENEVALIS]] is preparing an industrial site with an opening targeted for 2027, combining treatment with a traceability platform.

== See also ==

* [[Vietnam Energy Situation]]
* [[RENEVALIS]]

== External links ==

* [https://renevalis.com/solar-panel-recycling-vietnam/ Solar panel recycling in Vietnam]
* [https://renevalis.com/epr-vietnam-solar/ EPR Vietnam guide]

[[Category:Vietnam]]
[[Category:Solar]]

Solar Panel Waste Management in Vietnam - Revision history

Cyrille Martina: Creating article on solar panel waste management in Vietnam: volumes, EPR framework, treatment routes and traceability