Govt working on recycling framework for solar, wind and battery waste: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi

The government is working to strengthen recycling and reprocessing of waste from renewable energy technologies, including solar modules, wind turbine blades and battery storage systems, as part of a broader push to build a domestic circular economy and reduce dependence on imported critical minerals, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said on Thursday. Moneycontrol was the first to report on January 6 that the government was working on a separate regulatory framework for solar photovoltaic waste, including plans for centralised storage of discarded modules. Speaking at a press briefing concluding the Bharat Renewable Energy (BRE)

Summit and Expo 2026, Joshi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked ministers to work on a policy for reprocessing and recycling critical minerals that are not sufficiently available in India. MNRE Secretary Santosh Sarangi outlined the steps being taken to improve recycling of solar modules, wind turbine blades and batteries. He said stakeholder consultations on solar module waste management had been completed and the ministry was working on detailed guidelines. These will also mandate manufacturers to make modules that are easier to recycle. "The guidelines will require manufacturers to produce modules with a much higher degree of recyclability," he said.