Electrify Armidale, Sustainable Living Armidale, Community Power Agency, University of New England, Smart Region Incubation, Joint Media Release, 21 April 2026

A free community event in Armidale next month will look at a question becoming increasingly important for regional Australia: what happens to renewable energy infrastructure when it reaches the end of its useful life?

Closing the Loop: Recycling Solar in the New England
will be held at NOVA, 122 Faulkner St, Armidale,
on Monday 4 May 2026 from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm.

The event will explore the recycling, reuse and responsible disposal of renewable energy infrastructure, with a focus on rooftop solar panels, large-scale solar farms and, to a lesser extent, wind farm components.

Electrify Armidale convenor Trevor Brown said the event was designed to help the community engage with an issue that will only become more important over time.

“Communities are rightly focused on the benefits of renewable energy, but we also need to think about the full life cycle of these technologies,” Trevor Brown said.

“As more solar panels, batteries and large-scale renewable projects are rolled out, regional communities like Armidale need good information about reuse, recycling, decommissioning and the opportunities that may come with them.”

Speakers will include Guado Lado, Manager Regional Waste, Armidale Regional Council; Dr Kas Gregory, Lecturer in Computational, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the University of New England; Dr Megan Kessler, Policy and Research Director at RE-Alliance; and Darren Johannesen, Executive General Manager, Sustainability at the Smart Energy Council.

The event will also consider what “retirement age renewables” means for regional communities and whether the New England could benefit from infrastructure such as a solar panel recycling hub.

“One ideal outcome would be a solar panel recycling hub located in the region,” Trevor Brown said.

“That would help reduce transport barriers, support a regional circular economy, and make it easier to deal responsibly with end-of-life solar panels closer to where they are used.” 

The event is supported by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and is being presented through collaboration between Sustainable Living Armidale, Electrify Armidale, Community Power Agency, and the UNE SMART Region Incubator.

The event is free, but registration is essential.

Event details

Closing the Loop: Recycling Solar in the New England

• Date: Monday 4 May 2026
• Time: 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm
• Venue: NOVA, 122 Faulkner St, Armidale
• Register: events.humanitix.com/closing-the-loop