(Yicai) Dec. 19 -- With more than two decades of renewable energy development under its belt, China is scaling up support for the recycling of wind and solar power equipment as the pace of replacement shifts into a higher gear.

The government will address the key technical challenges in recycling decommissioned equipment by promoting the use of advanced processing technologies, Li Chao, a spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, said today. 

It will also co-ordinate existing funding channels, increase support for key projects, and guide financial institutions to facilitate the financing of eligible projects, Li said.

The need to retire and replace ageing systems installed since the year 2000 is growing quickly, as the life cycle of wind turbine blades and solar panels ranges from 20 to 25 years.

The Chinese market for recycling this spent equipment is expected to be worth more than CNY10 billion (USD1.4 billion), said Yao Xin, assistant dean of the Research Institute for Environmental Innovation Suzhou, Tsinghua. 

The nation has a lot of this type of waste, which is hard to dismantle and is mostly scattered across remote areas, Yao said, adding that up to now, it has been incinerated, left piled up in the open, or buried in landfill.

China will need to recycle 1.5 million tons of solar panels in 2030, which will increase to 20 million tons in 2050, according to the International Energy Agency. And in the decade to 2040, some 250 million kilowatts of wind turbine capacity will be decommissioned in the country, per a report by the China National Resources Recycling Association.

The NDRC, China’s state planning agency, first announced plans in August to set up a national recycling system for wind and solar gear, along with standards and rules.

Some businesses are looking at technologies to recycle old wind and solar power gear, Li said. They have gained some experience and achieved some results even though many difficulties remain in terms of technology, economic benefits, and business models, he added.

Each megawatt of wind power equipment is estimated to contain 100 to 240 tons of useful materials such as steel, copper, aluminum, and glass fiber, while the equivalent in solar panels should contain 60 to 80 tons of copper, aluminum, and plastics that can be recovered.

Editors: Shi Yi, Emmi Laine