One of the greatest benefits we see from a large boost in the desire for solar across the world would be the ever-improving technologies offered to you, the consumer. However, with that, we do see systems dismantled prior to the end of their lifecycle. This, paired with additional reasons such as a home being built and the new owner removing the solar, a natural disaster negatively impacts part of a system, a building with solar is demolished, etc., a considerable amount of solar is disposed of when it still has life to give. For many, one of the driving factors behind going solar is to do your part in producing green energy. With tossing out solar (especially when it isn’t recycled), we can have the opposite effect.
As the solar industry has continued to grow, we will see more and more second hand solar re-enter the market, and there is certainly a market for it. This is driven heavily by several factors including those that might not have a reliable grid to pull power from, panic buying from international scares, or simply those that are looking for a more cost-effective solar option.
But are these panels still reliable? In most cases, yes! In general, the rule of thumb put forth by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is that panels may only lose around 1% of their efficiency on average each year. With that, many manufacturers will guarantee 80% efficiency for the first 20 years.
Whether these panels are going to a family in need of reliable power, a non-profit seeking to lower their power bill, or maybe even panels moving from residential use to a mobile home or RV, there is a growing market for second-hand solar. Currently, most of this is taking place across Africa and the Middle East with the expectation of a considerable increase in the US over the next few years.
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