Nearly a million solar panels from ACEN Australia’s 400-megawatt Stubbo Solar Project in central-west NSW will be recycled at end of life — an Australian first that marks a major step toward a circular economy for utility-scale solar
Stubbo Solar is the first large-scale project to meet independent standards designed to make circular management commercially viable, earning certification from Circular PV Alliance against ‘CPVA Certified’ — the world’s first assurance framework developed specifically for solar circularity.
The project earned an ‘Exceeds’ rating for circular-economy practices that go beyond baseline requirements, recognising the project’s whole-of-lifecycle approach to managing materials as valuable resources rather than waste.
Stubbo Solar began generating power this year and will reach full commercial operations by the end of November, having secured a 20-year Long Term Service Agreement in 2021 in the NSW Government’s first renewable energy and storage auction.
ACEN Australia Managing Director David Pollington said the CPVA certification reflected a broader commitment to building a transition that endures.
“Decarbonising Australia’s energy system is a crucial step, but if we only replace the fuel, we risk repeating the logic of the old extractive model,” Mr Pollington said.
“Circularity challenges us to design for longevity, resilience and renewal, and Stubbo shows what’s possible when those principles are built in from the start.
“We hope what we’ve achieved encourages others across the industry to take the same step.”
CPVA Co-founder and CEO Megan Jones said that the rapid growth of the solar energy industry needs to factor in circular decommissioning practices now to ensure the industry remains environmentally sustainable into the future.
“The technology to recycle and reuse solar panels already exists — what’s needed now is the market infrastructure and incentives like CPVA Certified to make it commercially scalable,” Ms Jones said.
“By embedding circularity into a project of this size, ACEN Australia is helping build the demand signals and supply chains that make large-scale recovery viable.”
The CPVA Certified framework assesses projects across planning, procurement, operations and decommissioning, verifying that PV modules and other project components have credible reuse or recycling pathways.
It also reviews supply-chain transparency, waste-minimisation plans and repair programs during operation.
The CPVA Certified framework was incubated through the Taronga HATCH Accelerator Program in 2024, and launched later that year in response to growing focus on end-of-life management for Australia’s expanding solar fleet.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency estimates that Australia could generate more than 100,000 tonnes of solar-panel material annually by 2030, underscoring the importance of scaling recycling solutions and infrastructure to manage these resources responsibly.
ACEN Australia is a renewable-energy company with more than 1GW of capacity in operation and more than 13GW of large-scale wind, solar, battery and pumped-hydro projects in development, including over 2GW fully permitted.
In May 2025, ACEN Australia was awarded 30 per cent of the capacity of the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, securing transmission access for its Birriwa Solar, Birriwa BESS and Valley of the Winds projects — all expected to reach financial close within the next 12 months.
ENDS