Enel Green Power Australia, a joint venture of Enel Green Power and INPEX Renewable Energy Australia, has signed a long-term agreement with ElecSome to recycle solar photovoltaic (PV) modules across its Australian portfolio. ElecSome, based in Australia, will repurpose damaged and end-of-life solar modules to support the country’s decarbonisation efforts.
With around 1.4 million solar PV modules expected to reach their end-of-life by 2025, solar module upcycling is becoming vital. By 2030, non-usable PV panels are projected to generate 145,000 tonnes of waste annually. The agreement ensures the recycling of these resources for other industries.
Enel Green Power Australia’s portfolio includes three operational projects totalling 310 MW: the 137.5 MW Bungala 1 and 2 projects near Port Augusta, South Australia, and the 34.3 MW Cohuna project in Victoria. The 93 MW Girgarre project in Victoria, which began commissioning in May 2024, is expected to start operations in early 2025. Recently, Enel acquired a 1 gigawatt (GW) solar-plus-storage project in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in New South Wales from RES Group, including a 500 MW alternating current (AC) solar farm and a 500 MW/1000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).