The hailstorm that battered Islamabad has exposed a blind spot in our renewable energy ambitions — the afterlife of solar panels. With over 31,000 domestic net metering installations of domestic consumers alone, many damaged units now face a dismal fate: unregulated dumping.
Pakistan’s renewable roadmap, as detailed in the SDPI 2024 report, envisions a cleaner future. But without a solar recycling policy, this vision becomes self-defeating. Studies from the Journal of Cleaner Production highlight that a single ton of PV waste can contain up to 3.5 kg of lead and 4.5 kg of cadmium — hazardous materials with long-term soil and water impacts.
Why then does Pakistan still lack a circular strategy for PV waste? We’ve seen from Germany and Japan how recycling mandates and producer responsibility laws can close the loop sustainably.
It is imperative that the Ministry of Climate Change and NEPRA collaborate to enforce recycling standards and think beyond what tax rate to charge, fund collection programs, and create incentives for domestic recyclers. If we are to embrace solar energy, we must also embrace its complete life cycle — from manufacture to disposal. Otherwise, Pakistan may trade one form of pollution for another.
Raja Umair Ali
Islamabad
