The National Development and Reform Commission and other departments on promoting the decommissioning of wind power facilities,

Guidance on the Recycling of Photovoltaic Equipment

National Development and Reform Commission, Environmental Protection and Resource Conservation [2023] No. 1030

Development and Reform Commissions, Energy Bureaus, Departments of Industry and Information Technology, Departments (Bureaus) of Ecology and Environment, Commerce Authorities, and State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commissions of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, cities under separate planning, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

  In recent years, China’s new energy industry has experienced rapid development, with extensive deployment of new-energy equipment such as wind power and photovoltaic systems, placing its installed capacity firmly at the top globally. As the industry accelerates its upgrade and equipment undergoes replacement and renewal, new-energy equipment will soon face the challenge of large-scale decommissioning. To fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, thoroughly carry out the relevant arrangements outlined in the “Action Plan for Peaking Carbon Emissions Before 2030,” and accelerate the establishment of a circular waste utilization system to promote the recycling of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment, we hereby put forward the following recommendations.

  I. General Requirements

  (1) Guiding Ideology

  Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, deeply embrace Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, and comprehensively, accurately, and thoroughly implement the new development philosophy. We will accelerate the establishment of a new development pattern, vigorously promote high-quality development, speed up the green transformation of our development model, and earnestly put into practice the strategy of comprehensive conservation. We will actively build a circular utilization system for wind and photovoltaic equipment that covers all stages—from green design and standardized recycling to high-value utilization and harmless disposal—thus filling the final gap in the green, low-carbon, and circular development of the wind and photovoltaic industry chains and contributing to the achievement of carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

  (2) Basic Principles

  — Adhere to a systems perspective. Take into account the decommissioning of wind and photovoltaic equipment from the standpoint of the equipment’s entire life cycle, strengthen coordination across the upstream and downstream segments of the industrial chain, promote the circular utilization of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment, and maximize resource utilization efficiency.

  — Uphold innovation-driven development. Focus on promoting technological and model innovations in the recycling of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment, thereby advancing the progress of recycling technologies, reducing costs, and improving efficiency. Encourage regions and enterprises with favorable conditions to take the lead in adopting these initiatives and fostering advanced technologies and business models.

  — Adhere to differentiated policies. Taking into account comprehensively the stage of industrial development, equipment types, and decommissioning conditions, we will adopt a combination of short-term and long-term approaches, with appropriate forward-looking planning, to accelerate the standardized recycling of equipment from centralized wind farms and photovoltaic power stations, and gradually refine the responsibility mechanisms for handling distributed photovoltaic equipment.

  — Adhere to integrated regional planning. Based on local conditions and the status of wind power and photovoltaic equipment production and decommissioning, tailor-made industrial clusters for the circular utilization of retired equipment should be established. Support the coordinated utilization of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment across regions, and accelerate the development of a resource recycling industry.

  (3) Main Objectives

  By 2025, a basic responsibility mechanism for the disposal of decommissioned equipment from centralized wind farms and photovoltaic power stations will be established. Relevant standards and specifications for the recycling of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment will be further refined, and breakthroughs will be achieved in key technologies for resource recycling. By 2030, the technological system for the full-process recycling of wind and photovoltaic equipment will be basically mature, resource recycling models will be more robust, resource recycling capacity will effectively match the scale of decommissioned equipment, standards and specifications will be further improved, and the level of resource recycling in the wind and photovoltaic industries will be significantly enhanced, giving rise to a number of industrial clusters specializing in the recycling of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment.

  II. Key Tasks

  (1) Vigorously promote green design. Guide manufacturing enterprises to adopt green design principles—such as lightweighting, ease of disassembly, ease of transportation, and ease of recycling—in the product design and production stages. Actively implement regulatory requirements such as the "Normative Conditions for the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Industry" and deepen efforts to establish "Demonstration Enterprises for Green Design." Encourage manufacturing enterprises, while ensuring product quality, performance, and usage safety, to prioritize the use of recycled materials in the product design and production processes. Guide manufacturing enterprises to enhance information disclosure by making detailed information on component raw materials, product structures, and technical recommendations for resource recycling openly available to entities engaged in equipment recovery and resource utilization. (The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission shall be responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (2) Establish and improve a responsibility mechanism for the disposal of decommissioned equipment. Urge and guide centralized wind power and photovoltaic power generation enterprises to assume, in accordance with the law, their responsibilities for handling decommissioned new-energy equipment (including components; the same applies hereinafter). Such enterprises shall not illegally dispose of decommissioned equipment by means such as landfilling or dumping, nor shall they discharge industrial solid waste into municipal solid waste collection facilities. Urge and guide power generation enterprises to treat waste recycling and proper disposal as an important component of wind farm renovation and upgrading projects. (The National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment shall be responsible according to their respective duties.) Urge and guide power generation enterprises to promptly carry out ecological restoration of the surrounding environment after dismantling wind and photovoltaic equipment. (The National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Natural Resources shall be responsible according to their respective duties.) Provide guidance to power generation enterprises to refine their management systems for the scrapping of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment and enhance the efficiency of disposing of scrapped assets. Implement relevant requirements for the trading and transfer of state-owned assets, further optimize the system for handling and disposing of decommissioned state-owned wind and photovoltaic equipment, and promote efficient and standardized disposal of such assets by enterprises. (The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and the National Energy Administration shall be responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (3) Improve the equipment recycling system. Support photovoltaic equipment manufacturers in establishing distributed PV recycling systems through self-recycling, joint recycling, or entrusted recycling models. Encourage wind and photovoltaic equipment manufacturers to proactively offer recycling services. Support third-party specialized recycling enterprises in undertaking the recycling of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment. Promote the development of “one-stop” service models for the dismantling, transportation, recycling, disassembly, and utilization of retired new-energy equipment. Encourage manufacturing enterprises, power generation enterprises, operation enterprises, recycling enterprises, and utilization enterprises to establish long-term cooperative mechanisms, streamline recycling and utilization channels, and strengthen coordination and integration across upstream and downstream industries. Guide the on-site, nearby, and centralized dismantling of wind turbine units after their removal. Guide recycling enterprises of renewable resources to carry out the standardized and orderly recovery of scrap steel, waste nonferrous metals, and other recyclable resources. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Commerce shall be responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (4) Strengthen the capacity for resource recycling and reuse. Encourage recycling enterprises to carry out refined dismantling and high-level recycling of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment, with a particular focus on components such as foundations, towers, blades, nacelles, generators, gearboxes, and electrical control cabinets in wind turbine units, as well as photovoltaic laminates, frames, junction boxes, and other components in photovoltaic modules. Support leading enterprises in accelerating the development of industrial-scale recycling capabilities for complex materials, with a special emphasis on fiber-reinforced composites used in wind turbine blades, as well as semiconductor materials, metallic materials, polymers, and other components found in photovoltaic modules. Explore advanced recycling technologies and business models that strike a balance between economic viability and environmental sustainability. (The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission shall be responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (5) Prudently promote the remanufacturing of equipment. Strictly enforce quality control over the procurement of remanufactured products by user units. Steadily advance the development of the remanufacturing industry for wind turbine generators and photovoltaic components, taking the lead in developing remanufacturing of high-value components such as generators, gearboxes, and main bearings in wind power equipment, as well as key components like photovoltaic inverters. Prudently and orderly explore the application of remanufactured components in the operation and maintenance of new energy systems, and support wind and photovoltaic equipment manufacturers and operation & maintenance enterprises in expanding their remanufacturing businesses. Encourage research institutions, industry organizations, and leading enterprises to jointly establish testing and verification platforms for the remanufacturing of wind turbine generator and photovoltaic component parts. Foster third-party certification and evaluation agencies specializing in the remanufacturing of wind and photovoltaic equipment, thereby promoting the standardized development of the industry. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Administration for Market Regulation shall be responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (6) Standardize the harmless disposal of solid waste. Strengthen regulatory oversight over the entire process of recycling, utilization, and disposal of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment, strictly enforce pollution control requirements for the harmless disposal of retired equipment, ensure compliance with national environmental protection standards, and reduce the risk of environmental pollution caused by end-of-life solid waste. (The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is responsible.)

  III. Strengthening Guarantee Measures

  (1) Intensify efforts in technological research and development. Incorporate the R&D of technologies for the recycling of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment into key special projects under the National Key Research and Development Program. Develop technologies for assessing the remaining service life of wind power and photovoltaic equipment, establish a methodology and technical system for equipment lifecycle assessment, and promote the extended and tiered utilization of equipment and critical components. Conduct focused research on challenging and key technologies such as high-purity separation of photovoltaic modules, recovery and extraction of rare metals, recycling of composite materials, high-value utilization of renewable resources, and remanufacturing of wind power equipment parts. Break through core technological bottlenecks and develop integrated whole-line recycling processes covering all materials. Accelerate the construction of public service platforms for industrial technology foundations, including photovoltaic module recycling. Speed up the implementation of integrated demonstration projects for technology systems and promote the establishment of several integrated “government-industry-academia-research-application” models for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. (The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (2) Strengthen financial and policy support. Leverage existing funding channels under central budgetary investments to enhance support for projects that recycle decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment. Implement, in accordance with the law, relevant tax preferential policies, including energy-saving and water-saving measures, accelerated depreciation of fixed assets, and immediate refund of value-added tax on products resulting from comprehensive resource utilization. Study including the recycling industry for decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment in the Guidance Catalogue for Green Industries. Enrich green financial products and services, and provide financing facilitation for eligible projects in the recycling of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment. Encourage localities with suitable conditions to formulate special support policies for the recycling industry of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation, the People's Bank of China, and other relevant departments shall be responsible according to their respective duties.)

  (3) Improve the system of standards and specifications. Conduct research and develop standards and specifications for green design and comprehensive utilization of wind power and photovoltaic equipment. Support industry associations, leading enterprises, third-party research institutions, and other entities in developing technical standards related to decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment. (The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Energy Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and other relevant departments shall be responsible according to their respective duties.) Study and develop standards for the green dismantling of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment operating in special environments, as well as for the recycling and reuse of components made of different materials (including metals and composite materials). Further refine operational evaluation standards for wind power equipment, photovoltaic modules, and related components throughout their lifetimes, making the recyclability and reusability of equipment and components key criteria in these evaluations, and promote the implementation of green certification programs. (The State Administration for Market Regulation is responsible.) Accelerate research into the environmental impacts of disposing of discarded wind turbine blades, complete photovoltaic modules, and their components through methods such as landfilling, incineration, and recycling. Addressing pollution control issues throughout the recycling, utilization, and disposal processes of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment, develop technical specifications for the prevention and control of pollution from such waste. (The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is responsible.)

  (4) Foster key regions and enterprises. In light of local wind power and photovoltaic equipment production and decommissioning situations, provide guidance and support for selected key regions to establish industrial clusters focused on the recycling and reuse of decommissioned new-energy equipment. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the National Energy Administration, together with relevant departments, are responsible.) Support central enterprises in playing a leading role as models by taking the initiative to strengthen the recycling and reuse of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment and by developing a number of key projects. (The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and the National Development and Reform Commission, together with relevant departments, are responsible.)

  IV. Strengthen Organization and Implementation

  (1) Strengthen organizational leadership. The National Development and Reform Commission will enhance overall coordination and step up efforts to promote the recycling of decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment. Relevant departments, according to their respective responsibilities, shall formulate supporting policies and work together in a coordinated manner to build synergistic momentum. All localities must fully recognize the importance of recycling decommissioned wind and photovoltaic equipment and adopt effective measures to ensure robust policy implementation.

  (2) Strengthen publicity and guidance. All localities and relevant departments should intensify efforts to promote outstanding projects and typical cases of the circular utilization of decommissioned wind power and photovoltaic equipment, and disseminate a number of advanced experiences that can be learned from and replicated. Local governments, industry associations, and related institutions are encouraged to organize events such as technology-product matchmaking and exchange meetings, as well as on-site application demonstration sessions, to facilitate the exchange and promotion of advanced technology products and models. Industry associations and third-party research institutions should be supported in compiling industry development reports and other similar materials to systematically analyze technological trends and practical developments, promote the latest technology models, publicize exemplary cases, and guide the healthy development of the industry.

National Development and Reform Commission

National Energy Administration

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Ministry of Ecology and Environment

Ministry of Commerce

State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council

July 21, 2023