The Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has invited expressions of interest (EoI) for a research study to recover valuable materials from solar and electronic waste (E-waste).

The project aims to assess the feasibility of material recovery methods and develop an implementation roadmap to aid Gujarat’s renewable energy and waste management sectors.

Bids must be submitted by May 23, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹750,000 (~$8,805) and tender a document fee of ₹15,000 (~$176.10) plus 18% GST.

Successful bidders must submit a performance bank guarantee of 5% of the total order value or ₹500,000 (~$5,870), whichever is higher.

The scope of work entails the preparation of a detailed feasibility report based on high-level research into thin film technology and silicon recovery from poly/mono-crystalline and tunnel oxide passivated contact cell waste. It also includes preparing a study on developing mechanical, chemical, pyrometallurgical, and solvent-based extraction technologies.

The final deliverables must include technical specifications, recovery methods, policy recommendations, and a detailed implementation roadmap. The study must also assess multiple recycling methods, economic and environmental viability, and guidelines proposals for solar waste recycling in Gujarat.

The project must be completed within 11 months, and the final research report must be submitted by February 28, 2026.

Non-compliance with tender requirements will attract penalties, including liquidated damages of 1% of the contract price per week of delay, capped at 10% of the contract value, with provisions for contract termination and debarment for continued default.

Bidders must have at least five years of experience in solar technology or E-waste recovery research. They must have completed at least two relevant feasibility or research projects in the past five years. The proposed team must include domain experts with practical experience in material recovery, solar diagnostics, and advanced laboratory instrumentation.

Bidders must have an average annual turnover of ₹50 million (~$587,000) during the last three financial years.

In January this year, GEDA issued detailed procedures, guidelines, and terms for establishing off-grid solar, wind, and wind-solar hybrid power projects.

In 2023, the government announced that the management of waste generated from solar photovoltaic modules, panels, and cells has been brought under the ambit of the E-Waste Management Rules, 2022.