Taiwan eyes imposing fees on solar installations

This is amidst concerns of developers dumping waste panels in the country.

Public concerns arose over the move of a solar developer in Taiwan’s Yunlin County to dump 800 waste solar panels in Changhua Country, so the government said that it could introduce fees for the installation of solar panels and support of a recycling system for old panels, the Taipei Times reports.

Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Department of Waste Management director-general Lai Ying-ying noted that solar panels are comprised of 90% glass, 10-15% aluminum, 3% silicon, and some proportions of zinc, silver, copper, and lead.

To curb potential environmental effects, the EPA said it is in discussions with the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Energy over a system to recycle waste panels. An industry for recycling waste panels could also emerge by 2025 if there is sufficient economic scope.

The report added that the fee would initially be collected by the bureau, but the EPA would take over after the Waste Disposal Act is amended. Lai noted that next month it would announce standards for recycling and storing waste panels, as well as inspection measures.

Whilst the nation’s combined solar capacity reached 2,000MW this month, with the weight of panels estimated at 120,000 tonnes, the bureau would not retroactively collect the fee, bureau senior specialist Cheng Ju-min said.