In the past, developing countries in Asia suffered from power shortages. For example, rural villages and towns in Pakistan experienced severe power shortages, with power outages lasting more than 10 hours a day. However, China has provided Pakistan with a total of 5 trillion yen in aid. A key component of this assistance is a massive solar power plant, powered by more than 400,000 solar panels. This trend is spreading to other countries. In 2012, the Asia-Pacific region’s solar power generation capacity accounted for 20% of the world’s total. By 2016, this figure had soared to 48%, surpassing Europe’s 34%. Given the current production rate of solar panels, China and Southeast Asia are likely to be overwhelmed with discarded panels by 2030 and beyond.
The environment is gradually improving for the business of inspecting and maintaining used solar panels. Currently, fierce competition for solar panel sales is taking place, primarily among Chinese companies. Chinese panel companies are also facing a wave of bankruptcies. Production is reaching saturation. The main battlefield of the solar power generation business is shifting from panel production to panel maintenance. Panels’ power generation capacity declines year by year after installation, and breakdowns become more frequent. At such times, one business opportunity is to quickly respond to the site, quickly replace parts, and maintain power generation capacity. Demand is also emerging for businesses that remotely monitor the operating status of solar power plants using drones and surveillance cameras. Panel production is certain to decline.
In Japan, too, 500,000 to 800,000 tons of solar power generation systems will reach the end of their lifespan annually starting in the late 2030s. Panel recycling technology is currently evolving. New technologies recover adhesives and plastics along with water vapor, separating them into water and organic matter. After decomposition, only glass fragments, copper wire, and solar cell fragments remain, completing the process without emitting carbon dioxide. This new method aims to increase the recycling rate, which previously hovered around 70%, to approximately 95%. However, there is a shortage of human resources who can carry out this recycling smoothly. The collection and recycling of waste panels will become a problem that countries all over the world will have to face in the future. Japan is in the process of building a model for this. However, there is a shortage of human resources. This shortage has led to the idea of relying on human resources from overseas. They would receive training in panel repair and recycling companies in Japan and acquire the necessary skills. The skilled personnel trained in Japan would then work in waste panel recycling businesses in their home countries, creating a system that contributes to their respective home countries. During the human resource development period, Japanese companies would also have access to manpower. It would be fun to achieve both a noble cause and practical benefits at the same time.
