en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Western Australian Government has allocated AU$17.8 million in its 2026-27 State Budget to establish recycling processing capacity for solar panels and embedded batteries. The project aims to provide the community with disposal pathways for batteries from electric mobility devices and household equipment.
Under the "Remade in WA" initiative, the funding is divided into three parts: AU$13 million for establishing end-of-life solar panel collection and recycling pathways, AU$3 million for expanding embedded battery collection at local government facilities, and AU$1.8 million for ongoing implementation management of these two projects.
Western Australia's Minister for Energy, Decarbonisation and Manufacturing, Amber-Jade Sanderson, stated that with more solar panels and batteries being deployed daily, systems need to be established to manage them at end-of-life, reducing waste and supporting the circular economy. She noted that as Western Australia moves toward its goal of becoming a global clean energy powerhouse, this investment will ensure future readiness.
The announcement was made at Cyber Recycling, the state's first solar panel recycling facility, located in Canning Vale, 23 kilometers south of Perth. The facility can receive over 2,500 end-of-life solar panels for recycling and has been supported by the E-waste Infrastructure Grants Program.
In terms of energy distribution, the budget also includes several other clean energy investments: AU$24 million for expanding Munster TAFE, providing advanced facilities to support renewable energy industry training covering wind energy, battery technology, and electrification; AU$10.6 million allocated to the Pilbara Development Commission for establishing and operating the Clean Energy Training and Research Institute; AU$150 million for a Vanadium Battery Energy Storage System near Kalgoorlie to enhance reliability and support renewable energy development in the region; AU$67.3 million to continue supporting PoweringWA's energy transition efforts; AU$30 million for the second round of the Investment Attraction Fund – New Energies Industries Funding Stream; AU$16 million allocated to the Minerals Research Institute of WA for implementing and managing clean energy and emissions research projects; an additional AU$5 million for the Schools Clean Energy Technology Fund to reduce school energy costs and carbon emissions; AU$1.4 billion for Clean Energy Link projects under the Clean Energy Fund; and AU$85 million to support the green steel industry, including AU$75 million for the NeoSmelt pilot project.
Regarding solar panel recycling, the Australian Government launched a AU$24.7 million pilot project on January 16, seeking public input on a national plan for managing end-of-life solar panels. The pilot aims to collect up to 250,000 panels from approximately 100 sites to gather national data on collection and recycling processes, including transportation options.
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