“It'll create jobs everywhere”: The emerging solar panel industry in Kilmany
When the site opens it will have up to 220,000 units ready to be recycled.
Jacob Wallace
September 18, 2025
Marc Murphy is only 14 weeks into his new job, but he’s already brimming with excitement about the potential for innovation.
“I've been a part of plenty of workplaces from the production side of things, but I’ve never been a part of a startup,” Murphy told the Gippsland Monitor. “It's actually what attracted me to the job, to be honest. It's something I can sink my teeth into and [help] steer it in the right direction.”
Murphy works for Elecsome, a solar panel recycling centre in Kilmany, which opened its pilot program in July 2023.
The pilot will allow Elecsome to figure out the processes and machinery required to safely and efficiently recycle panels, ahead of entering full commercial operation.
When the Kilmany site is up and running it will have up to 220,000 solar panels on site ready to be recycled.
How recyclable are solar panels?
Murphy said solar panels typically last about 20 to 30 years before the power they generate starts to diminish.
If the panels that arrive at Elecsome are in good condition Murphy will test their energy output. If they’re still putting out voltage similar to what’s expected, Elecsome can sell them on as second-hand panels.
If they don’t produce enough voltage, or if the panels are damaged or broken, then they’re recycled.
Solar panels are made up of a few main components: the photovoltaic (PV) sheet (which converts sunlight into electricity), a layer of tempered glass, a backsheet with wires and electronics and an aluminium frame that holds everything together.
Upwards of 97 percent of the panels are recyclable - the wires and electronics are dismantled so the copper and silver can be harvested and the aluminum frames are repurposed for cans or other solar panel frames.
Workers at Elecsome removing aluminium frames from panels.
The PV sheet and tempered glass are shredded into a powder that Elecsome calls Solarcrete. This product acts as a replacement for concrete in construction and has already been tested in Melbourne’s North East Link tunnel.
The machine used to shred the PV and glass sheets into solarcrete.
Once the facility is open, anyone will be able to deliver panels and pay a fee to have them recycled.
“It’ll be like taking them to the tip,” said Murphy. The fee for dropping off an average panel will be around $50.
Economic opportunity
More than 30 percent of Victorian homes have solar panels installed, according to the Victorian government. That number is expected to increase as more households look to cut their electricity bills.
Elecsome is within Wellington Shire. Mayor Scott Rossetti told the Gippsland Monitor the council was “always trying to help any industry coming in. We like to have economic activity. We like jobs for our community. We like to have diversity in our economic base”.
A report from Circular PV Alliance estimates there will be 15 million solar panels needing to be recycled in Australia by 2040.
A field of solar panels waiting to be recycled at Elecsome.
To cope with the increasing demand, Murphy said the company was looking at hiring more staff, turning the venture into a 24-hour operation and constructing a new processing shed.
“It all seems to be happening down here, doesn't it?”
