What a waste! Where do solar panels go to die?

This presentation by Dr Deepika Mathur will centre of her research on understanding why solar panels in Australia’s Northern Territory are being removed and how they are disposed. Dr Mathur argues there are several social and economic reasons for their removal, and it is not just a matter of failure to generate electric power. This enquiry attempted to formulate an early definition of this newly emergent social problem, conceptualising it as a socio-material issue. The second part of her presentation raises the question of how Northern Australia should plan for managing solar panel waste arising from large scale solar installations in future. It draws on the multi-level perspective, as a framework for conceptualising the transition challenges associated with promoting a circular solar energy system in the region. Adopting this approach facilitates consideration of social, technical and political drivers of solar panel waste and their implications for governance and planning in regional Australia.

Format:

• 5 min welcome and introduction by Anna Cain, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, ANU 
• 30 min presentation by Dr Deepika Mathur, Senior Research Fellow, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University
• 15 min Q&A facilitated by Anna Cain, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, ANU 

About the speaker

Dr Deepika Mathur is a Senior Research fellow at the Charles Darwin University’s Northern Institute. She has undertaken several research projects on waste management in regional, remote and very remote areas across the Northern Territory. She has also worked on multi stakeholder research projects funded by the Commonwealth government as well as by the Northern Territory Government. Dr. Mathur has published her research in peer reviewed journals, the Conversation and industry journals. She has presented her research in both academic and industry conferences within Australia and internationally.