Oil & Energy
Renewable Energy Boom With Waste Problem
As the global renewable energy capacity increases, so does the amount of waste from end-of-life equipment from solar, wind and other renewable energy activities. If we don’t address this problem soon, it could become a whole new threat to the environment and human health.
While a transition away from fossil fuels to alternative green energy sources is helping the world to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, it is important to consider the implications that new energy activities may have on the environment.
Solar panels and wind turbines have a limited lifespan and need to be disposed of appropriately once they reach this point. While some components can be recycled and reused, much of the old equipment ends up in landfills due to the lack of infrastructure in place to manage the materials suitably.
Renewable energy equipment, such as solar panels, contains components that can be harmful to humans, such as lead and cadmium, as well as other materials, like glass, aluminum, and silicon, which can be harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly.
One way that out-of-use equipment can be managed is through the creation of standards, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive from the European Union, which provides guidelines for the gathering, handling, recycling, and recovery of solar panels.
The U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) also addresses the correct disposal of solar panels.
However, many countries have yet to introduce clear standards for renewable energy equipment disposal, which has led to dangerous methods of disposal.
Several countries around the globe are rapidly increasing their solar and wind energy capacity, which relies on the production and installation of millions of solar panels and turbines. Tens of millions of solar panels are being installed each year in the U.S. alone, and globally the figure is over a hundred million.
Despite the accelerated pace of the rollout, there are few recycling facilities prepared to manage old equipment.
Some countries are managing equipment disposal better than others. For example, France claims that 90 percent recycling efficiency is achieved in some of its flagship disposal facilities.
However, others do not have mechanisms in place to even consider recycling old equipment. While it is important to put proper waste disposal mechanisms in place for the safety of people and the environment, it can also be a lucrative business.
According to a study by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the cumulative value of materials that can be recycled from solar photovoltaic (PV) waste is estimated at $4 billion by 2040 and $8.8. billion by 2050.
Supplies of many of the materials used to produce green energy equipment are finite, meaning it is important to recycle materials to reproduce equipment to continue to produce renewable energy. Jinlei Feng, a programme officer at IRENA, explained, “By 2050, there will be more than 210 million tonnes of cumulative solar PV waste globally and more than three-quarters of that waste will be generated after 2040 and 40% in the last five years between 2045-2050”.
Feng added, “Annual solar PV waste generation will touch 10 million tonnes by 2040 and increase to 20 million tonnes by 2050”.
India is currently trying to navigate solar waste problem. Pavagada in the south of India is home to the world’s third-largest solar power plant, which holds 25 million panels across a 50 km2 park, with a capacity of 2,050MW. There are 11 other giant solar parks across the country, with plans to develop a further 39 across 12 states by 2026.
However, with great solar ambitions comes significant waste. India is aiming for a solar output capacity of 280GW by 2030, of which 70.1GW is already installed.
One study predicts that this will produce an accumulation of over 600,000 tonnes of solar waste by the end of the decade, which could increase 32-fold to over 19 million tonnes by 2050.
Although there are protocols in place to manage the disposal of old equipment, which state that solar waste from the plants must be transferred to e-waste contractors, authorized by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), within a specified timeframe – typically 90 or 180 days – few abide by these rules.
Most solar farms are in remote areas and must pay to transport old equipment to authorised contractors. Solar glass has no real value, meaning there is little incentive for waste contractors to collect and manage the equipment.
This has led to the development of a network of informal operators – who dismantle, aggregate, transport and recycle panels.
Instead of ensuring proper disposal methods are followed, many operators sell their waste equipment to informal buyers, meaning the materials cannot be recycled and repurposed, and many of the materials end up harming both people and the environment.
To ensure that renewable energy equipment is disposed of appropriately, and recycled where possible, governments must establish clear standards and regulations for energy waste disposal.
Further, they must ensure the mechanisms are in place and funding is available to guarantee proper disposal takes place. Without the necessary standards, green energy equipment could contribute to environmental and health problems in the coming decades.
Bradstock writes for Oilprice.com.
By: Felicity Bradstock
The Bill for an act to prohibit gas flaring, encourage commodity utilisation, and provide for penalties and remedies for gas flaring violations has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
Sponsored by the Member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency (APC, Lagos), Babajimi Adegoke Benson, the bill seeks to prohibit the flaring and venting of natural gas, except in strictly regulated circumstances, while encouraging the utilisation of gas resources to foster economic growth and energy generation.
The proposed legislation aims to mitigate the environmental, health, and economic impacts of gas flaring, aligning Nigeria’s oil and gas operations with international climate change commitments.
Offenders, who violate the provisions of the proposed law, would face stringent penalties, including fines of $5 per 1,000 standard cubic feet of gas flared and potential suspension of operations for repeat violations.
Leading debate on the general principles of the bill, Benson said gas flaring has plagued Nigeria for decades, resulting to severe environmental degradation, public health crises, and economic losses while it environmentally, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and acid rain, exacerbating climate challenges.
The lawmaker said public health impacts of the practice are equally dire, as pollutants from gas flaring cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, particularly among residents of communities close to flaring sites.
According to him, economically, flaring results in the waste of a valuable resource that could otherwise be harnessed for energy generation or exported to generate revenue.
Benson insisted that the bill was designed to address those issues while bringing Nigeria in line with global standards such as the Paris Agreement on climate change.
“The bill provides for a comprehensive prohibition of gas flaring except in emergencies or when explicitly authorised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“Operators are required to submit and implement Gas Utilisation Plans, detailing how gas that would otherwise be flared will be captured, processed, or commercialised.
“Offenders, who violate these provisions, face stringent penalties, including fines of $5 per 1,000 standard cubic feet of gas flared and potential suspension of operations for repeat violations. Furthermore, the Bill ensures that communities affected by gas flaring are entitled to compensation and environmental restoration, creating a mechanism for redress.
“Transparency and accountability are integral to the enforcement framework of this Bill. Operators must submit regular reports on gas flaring incidents, which will be audited and made publicly available by the NUPRC. This approach ensures public oversight and stakeholder engagement, fostering trust and compliance.
“Nigeria’s adoption of this Bill positions the country to emulate such success, ensuring a balance between environmental stewardship and economic development.
“The implementation of this Bill will be overseen by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, which will monitor compliance through regular audits, enforce penalties, and facilitate gas utilisation projects in collaboration with operators and development partners.
“The Anti-Gas Flaring (Prohibition and Enforcement) Bill, 2024, is a timely and necessary response to one of Nigeria’s most pressing environmental challenges. Its provisions are both practical and forward-looking, addressing immediate concerns while laying the groundwork for a sustainable future.
“I urge all Honourable Members to support the Second Reading of this Bill as a demonstration of our collective commitment to environmental protection, public health and economic progress”, he added.
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Oil major, Shell, has restated its commitment to the development of Nigerian companies through contract awards and scaling up of expertise.
Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company ((SNEPCO) Limited, Ron Adams, made the remark while speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the 13th edition of the Practical Nigerian Content forum held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with the theme “Deepening the Next Frontier for Nigerian Content Implementation”.
Represented by the Manager, Business Opportunity, SNEPCO’s Bonga South-West Aparo Project, Olaposi Fadahunsi, he said several benefitting companies had taken advantage of the patronage to expand their operations and improve their expertise and financial strength.
Adams said, “Shell companies execute a large proportion of their activities through contracts with third parties, and Nigeria-registered companies have been key beneficiaries of this policy aimed at powering Nigeria’s progress”.
He emphasized that Shell companies in Nigeria also continued to develop indigenous manpower through scholarship programmes with over 3,772 undergraduate and 109 Niger Delta post graduate scholarships since 2016.
“As we speak, beneficiaries of the 13th edition of the Niger Delta Post Graduate Scholarship awards are pursuing their studies in the United Kingdom. The employability rate of the scheme is high with over 98% of the graduates who won the awards securing employment in the oil and gas industry, academia and Information Technology, among other sectors, within one year of completing their studies”.
He commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for ensuring compliance with the Nigerian Content Act saying “Nigerian content will continue to be an important part of Shell operations”.
The four-day conference hosted by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and participating companies reviewed progress on the development of Nigerian content pertaining to the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGICD) Act since it was enacted in 2010.
Shell companies in Nigeria are among the more than 700 oil and gas entities that participated in the forum with a strong message of support for Nigerian companies, having awarded contracts worth $1.98 billion to the businesses in 2023 in continuing effort to develop Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has sold the first cargo of Port-Harcourt low sulfur straight run fuel oil (LSSR) to Dubai-based Gulf Transport & Trading Limited (GTT).
The company is expected to load the cargo in the coming days onboard the Wonder Star MR1 ship, signalling the commencement of operations at the plant and the exportation of petroleum products.
The ship would load 15,000 metric tons of the product, which translates to about 13.6 million litres.
Although the volume coming from the NNPC into the global market is still small, the development has the potential to impact the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) benchmarks in the future, while changing the market realities for Atlantic Basin exporters into Nigeria and other regions.
The sulfur content of the export by NNPC stands at 0.26 per cent per wt and a 0.918 g/ml density at 15°C, according to Kpler, a data and analysis company.
The cargo was reportedly sold at an $8.50/t discount to the NWE 0.5 per cent benchmark on a Free on Board (FOB) basis.
Kpler reported that the development would help displace imports from traditional suppliers in Africa and Europe, as Nigeria’s falling clean product (CPP) imports are already decreasing, dragging imports into the wider West Africa region lower as well.
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