Monitoring China's solar power plant in-use stocks and material recycling potentials using multi-source geographical data

Abstract

To combat global climate change requires fast deployment of photovoltaics (PV), especially for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. However, PV systems are highly material-intensive with significant waste, underscoring the need for high-resolution material stock mapping to enhance future recycling. Here, we develop an integrated framework that combines multi-source geographical data, to monitor PV material stocks at facility level in China during 2010–2019. The results indicate nearly 86 % (108 GW) of installed capacity concentrated in northwest, north, central, and east China in 2019, with total aluminum exceeding 1.8 million tonnes (Mt), followed by silicon at 87 kilo tonnes (kt), copper at 81 kt, and silver at 6 kt, almost half the PV installed capacity (61.4 GW) with 5.6 Mt PV panels are over 50 km from urban areas, emphasizing the necessity of high-resolution PV panel monitoring and its application in managing those emerging but diverse waste sources.