The dirty secret of China’s clean energy ambition: millions of wind turbines and solar panels are near retirement age
- Contaminated soil, water and air – not to mention carbon emissions – could be the legacy of old wind and solar equipment without a massive recycling effort
- Despite being on the government’s policy road map, a recycling ecosystem for decommissioned equipment is in its infancy
Solar and wind power could end up contaminating soil and groundwater with toxic metals, adding to air pollution, and contributing to carbon emissions unless China nurtures a recycling ecosystem that can cleanly deal with millions of tonnes of equipment slated for retirement in the coming years.
China is the world leader in producing renewable energy, having installed 328 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity and 306GW of solar power capacity since the early 2000s. That translates to around 40 per cent and 30 per cent of the global total, respectively.
The country aims to double its wind and solar capacity by 2025 to support its goals of having 80 per cent of energy come from renewable sources and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.
But now, China’s success in green power is about to create a growing mountain of a challenge.
“Solar and wind installation components typically have a 20- to 25-year lifespan,” said Li Jiatong, a campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia. “The first wave of retired renewable energy components is about to hit in China. And the amount will of course grow for at least the next two decades.”