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POLICY INITIATIVE “Solar PV waste consists of vari- ducers to facilitate the return of used age due to transport, natural disasters,
Inter-State transmission waiver for energy storage ous materials such as glass, alumini- modules. Bulk consumers, including or manufacturing defects can lead to
um, silicon, plastics and heavy metals government institutions and large in-
premature disposal. In such cases,
extended by three years like lead, cadmium and antimony. Im- dustrial users, will also be required to improper handling without formal
proper handling or disposal can pose store PV waste in a safe manner and processing systems can lead to pol-
serious risks to human health and the hand over the waste only to authorized lution from heavy metals and toxic
The Ministry of Power (MoP) has environment,” the guidelines state. dismantlers. chemicals leaching into soil and water
extended the Inter-State Transmission bodies.
System (ISTS) transmission charge Extended Producer Responsibility rules For dismantlers and recyclers, the
waivers for Battery Energy Storage Sys- Under the proposed rules, pro- guidelines propose technical standards With the cumulative installed solar
tem (BESS) and Pump Hydro Storage ducers and bulk consumers must en- for dismantling operations, storage capacity projected to exceed 292-GW
(PHS) projects by three years until June sure end-of-life management of solar infrastructure, leachate control, and by 2030 under India’s renewable
2028. In an announcement made on June equipment. They are required to record-keeping. Recycling units must energy targets, the CPCB has under-
10, 2025, the MoP stated that the 100% channel waste only through registered obtain consent to operate under the scored the urgency of implement-
waiver will apply to co-located BESS dismantlers and recyclers. Water and Air Acts and must maintain ing standardised waste management
projects commissioned by June 2028. an online record of the quantity and practices.
Alternatively, for PHS, the mandate is for The CPCB has emphasized that type of PV waste processed.
projects that have awarded their construc- Extended Producer Responsibility Public comments
tion work before the specifi ed timeline. (EPR) will apply to producers involved Technology development The CPCB has called for public
in manufacturing, importing, or sell- The draft also suggests capacity- comments on the draft by June 29,
The extension aims to support the ing solar PV modules or panels in building initiatives and the deve- 2025. It said that after fi nalisation, the
deployment of grid-scale energy storage, India. “Producers shall register on lopment of recycling infrastructure document will serve as an advisory
which is crucial for the evolving Indian the CPCB’s EPR portal and provide across states. It encourages research framework to be adopted by various
power grid, especially as the penetration yearly returns on the quantity of solar institutions and startups to develop stakeholders for effective end-of-life
Figure 1: ISTS transmission charge waiver trajectory of various green energy technologies
of variable and intermittent renewable Source: MoP, JMK Research PV modules placed in the market and technologies for recovering valuable management of solar PV systems.
energy sources increases rapidly. Currently, quantity of waste collected and recyc- materials like silver, copper, and rare “The guidelines are intended to
the grid-scale energy storage (ESS) sector been well received, a few aspects require age technologies on the horizon, led,” the draft notes. metals from end-of-life modules. minimise environmental and health
in India is in its early stages, with around clarifi cation; such as gravity and thermal energy hazards by ensuring the environmen-
90% of the cumulative ESS tendered  The requirement for co-locating storage. The draft guidelines also include The guidelines mention that solar tally sound management of end-of-

capacity issued within the last couple of BESS with solar and wind projects provisions for setting up collection modules generally have a lifespan of life solar PV equipment in India,”
years (since 2023). Most of these tenders makes standalone BESS ineligible Despite the minor shortcomings, centres or take-back systems by pro- 25 years, but early failures and dam- CPCB noted.
are location-agnostic, promoting inter- for the waiver extension, which may JMK Research believes the waiver
State power transmission. Removing the affect the long-term growth potential extension will enhance the economic TP Solar crosses 4-GW of solar module production
waivers at this point could have hindered of this important segment of the grid- viability of ESS projects. Additionally, it
the development of a nascent and un- scale ESS market. aligns with the government’s directive to at its Tamil Nadu unit
tapped market.  Restricting the eligible ESS technolo- include a minimum of 2-hour co-located
gies to only battery and pump hydro ESS (equivalent to 10% of the installed TP Solar Limited, a wholly-owned mestic Content Requirement (DCR) fi rst approach. Over 80% of the plant’s
According to JMK Research, a con- systems may discourage the advance- solar project capacity) in future solar subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable norms, the facility is equipped to manu- shop-fl oor workforce comprises women,
sultancy, although the MoP order has ment of other promising energy stor- tenders. Energy Ltd. (TPREL) and the manufac- facture next-generation Mono PERC refl ecting Tata Power’s strong focus
turing arm of The Tata Power Company (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) and on gender diversity and equitable job
END-OF-LIFE MANAGEMENT Ltd., has announced that it has crossed advanced TopCon (Tunnel Oxide Passi- creation in advanced manufacturing.
CPCB publishes draft guidelines for solar wastes 4-GW of solar module manufacturing vated Contact) modules. The plant itself has been built using
at its Tamil Nadu plant.
The ramp-up aligns with Tata Power’s green building principles, energy-effi -
India is projected to generate over panels, and cells. The draft guidelines (Management) Rules, 2022. According The plant has cumulatively pro- goal to strengthen India’s solar supply cient processes, and resource-conscious
34,600-tonnes of solar photovoltaic titled ‘Safe Handling and Disposal of to the CPCB, India had installed over duced 4,049-MW of solar modules and chain resilience by reducing dependency design, minimising its environmental
(PV) waste by 2030, according to draft Solar Photovoltaic Modules, Panels, and 73-GW of solar capacity as of March 2023, 1,441-MW of solar cells up to May on imports and enabling faster deploy- footprint. TPREL also has a 682-MW
guidelines released by the Central Pol- Cells’, released on May 30, 2025, out- and the country’s cumulative PV waste 2025. The company is targeting 3.7-GW ment of clean energy projects nation- solar module and a 530-MW solar cell
lution Control Board (CPCB), which line roles and responsibilities of manu- generation is expected to increase signifi - of solar cell output and 3.725-GW wide. Beyond its technological prow- plant at Bengaluru, which operates at
has proposed a detailed framework for facturers, bulk consumers, dismantlers, cantly from approximately 100-tonnes in of module production in FY26. Stra- ess, the Tamil Nadu facility also stands full capacity to support the production
handling end-of-life solar modules, and recyclers under the existing E-Waste 2020 to 600,000-tonnes by 2040. tegically built to comply with Do- out for its inclusive and sustainability- of DCR-compliant cells and modules.

134 Chemical Weekly June 24, 2025 Chemical Weekly June 24, 2025 135

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