Regional Framework Towards Establishing Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) Facilities for PV Waste Management in the Philippines: A Case Study of Laguna Province

Abstract

The accelerated adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems for renewable power generation in the Philippines will yield a tremendous amount of PV waste. However, the country lacks a comprehensive framework for understanding PV module waste volume growth and optimally siting Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facilities for PV waste management based on minimum siting factor. The study aims to develop a regional framework that utilizes a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach to find the potential sites and optimal locations of TSD facilities in Laguna, Philippines, based on the estimated PV module waste growth of solar energy systems with service contracts and minimum siting criteria under Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2013-22. By 2060, the projected amount of PV module waste in Laguna province will be around 162,230 metric tons based on the waste projection results. The suitable sites cover around 19,720.5 hectares or 11.21% of the total land area of Laguna, which were determined by various siting factors that encompass social, economic, and environmental factors and obtained using binary suitability analysis and vector overlay analysis. The optimal locations of the two TSD facilities were identified using strategic positioning based on hotspot analysis, clustering algorithm, and proximity analysis. Consequently, the distance and GHG emissions of the two optimal locations were calculated. Indeed, the approach will serve as a guide for policymakers and other stakeholders in understanding PV module waste growth and strategically and optimally position TSD facilities on suitable sites for efficient and effective PV waste management.