EPA warns power firms on dumping used solar panelsGOING SOLAR: Energy developers have to obtain a registration number for each panel and pay a recycling fee before installing the unitBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterSolar power developers are required to pay recycling fees for installing solar panels, and those caught illegally dumping panels would face a fine of up to NT$3 million (US$100,164), the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday. The EPA has, in cooperation with the Bureau of Energy, set up a recycling system for solar panel waste, EPA Department of Waste Management Director-General Lai Ying-ying (賴瑩瑩) told a news conference in Taipei. The system was established to prevent heavy metal pollution caused by decommissioned photovoltaic panels and to foster a circular economy within the solar power industry, she said. To handle used panels, developers have to file an application with the EPA’s online solar panel recycling system, and the Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association would help recycle them, Lai said. The EPA last month helped recycle 50 solar panels decommissioned from an energy installation site in Penghu County, where solar panels are more easily eroded due to salty and humid conditions.

Source: Taipei Times April 29, 2020 15:56 UTC