Building a circular solar future with Darren Johannesen

November 5th, 2025  |  Season 7  |  45 mins 13 secs

circular economy, darren johannesen, degrowth, post-growth, recycling, smart enery council, solar stewardship

Did you know that in 2024/2025, 3.4 million solar panels were decommissioned? Did you also know that up to 99% of solar panel material is recyclable? In this episode, we welcome Darren Johannesen, Executive General Manager of Sustainability at Smart Energy Council. We discuss the recent success of Smart Energy Council’s Solar PV Recycling and Products Stewardship Program as an example of urban mining and go on to examine how this could be rolled out on a national scale.