Pre-feasibility study on policy, waste management and recycling strategy for Solar Home System business in Northern Nigeria

Nigeria has ambitious electrification plans to ensure the 50% of population still having limited or no access to the grid can have access to energy. Such plans are also backed by international organization and technical assistance facilities. At the same time, such ambitious plans also pose questions on how to properly ensure electric and electronic appliances as well as PV modules and batteries are properly and safely collected and recycled after they reached their end-of-life. Collection and recycling are currently often conducted by informal sectors, trying to exploit the economic value contained in the products with rudimental recycling processes, with little regard to emission control and impacts on human and environmental health. This project entails the development of a pre-feasibility study for setting-up recycling infrastructure for waste from solar home systems deployed in Nigeria. The study presents various options for environmentally sound management of e-waste and waste batteries and derives related pre-conditions and investment needs.