this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
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If you replace panels, the old panels don't go away. Reuse at lower efficiency seems more viable than recycling.
Yeah, but if you're a residential solar customer with limited roof space and/or a weight limit, the old panels become a bit of a liability.
Realistically a lot of it is going to end up in Africa on way or another.
I've also seen listings for used solar panels one Chinese wholesale marketplaces for 1/3 - 1/2 of the new price.
80% efficacy for 50% of the price sounds like it's a great deal if the tradeoffs don't matter.
Could just use them for fence or sunshade on your property somewhere where they're not getting optimal sun. I mean if the other option is to throw them away might aswell.
a degraded panel in a suboptimal position is probably not worth the effort to install and the resources that would go into supporting it.
a better re-use case would be one where the downsides aren't exacerbated but a new build panel isn't justified. also solar panels are supposedly highly recyclable.