{"id":33411,"date":"2019-10-04T12:53:09","date_gmt":"2019-10-04T02:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=33411"},"modified":"2019-10-11T15:18:23","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T04:48:23","slug":"solar-panel-recycling-disposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Solar

Upgrading or replacing your solar panels? Here’s 7 options for disposing of the old ones.<\/p><\/div>\n

An unfortunate fact is solar panels eventually die.\u00a0 While good quality panels can survive over 30 years exposure to the elements, a crap one might fail after only two months because it was damaged when it left the factory.\u00a0 But whether your panels are the cream of the crop or scum off the top of a pot full of rot, they will die.\u00a0 It will just happen a lot sooner to the crap ones.<\/p>\n

When faulty panels or a whole solar power system is replaced, the installer usually carts the old gear away.\u00a0 But, for one reason or another, you may end up with used solar panels or other solar hardware that you want to get rid of.\u00a0 In this article I’ll cover what you can do with unwanted inverters and other items such as solar mounting gear, but first I’ll give seven options for disposing of old panels.\u00a0 I’ve put them in order of least to most costly, although the final option may not be expensive for those with a convenient place to shove them:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Sell them.<\/li>\n
  2. Give them away.<\/li>\n
  3. Live where the local Council will take them.<\/li>\n
  4. Find a scrap dealer who will take them for free.<\/li>\n
  5. Pay for them to be disposed of as electronic waste.<\/li>\n
  6. Pay for them to be recycled.<\/li>\n
  7. Shove them where the sun doesn’t shine.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Option 1:\u00a0 Sell Them!<\/h2>\n

    Being paid is obviously the most cost effective way to get rid of unwanted solar panels.\u00a0 It’s also the most environmentally friendly option, as no one is likely to buy them unless they intend to use them to produce clean energy.\u00a0 Provided they work you can sell panels on ebay or Gumtree or Gumbay or whatever.\u00a0 Just don’t expect a good price.\u00a0 Because it’s normally not a good idea to use second hand solar panels<\/a> there’s not much demand for them.\u00a0 Depending on where you are it’s possible you won’t find a single buyer even if they are quality panels in good condition.<\/p>\n

    I recommend describing what you are selling as accurately as you can without exaggeration.\u00a0 Even if the panels are old and low wattage they may be exactly what someone is looking for to replace solar panels on their old low wattage solar system.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    “Hello. My name is Gumbay. My goal is to find new homes for old solar panels and to oppose Communism at every turn.”<\/p><\/div>\n

    Option 2:\u00a0 Give The Solar Panels Away<\/h2>\n

    If you can’t sell your solar panels, maybe you can find someone who’ll take them for free.\u00a0 Unfortunately, on average, this is likely to be less environmentally friendly than selling them because of the way the word “free” tends to break some people’s brains.\u00a0 While they may fully intend to use them at the time they take them, they may just end up stacking them in their shed.\u00a0 We all probably know someone like this.\u00a0 Of course, none of us would actually be someone like that.\u00a0 Especially not me.\u00a0 I’ve certainly never built a camouflaged shed to store stuff in that my spouse told me to throw out.<\/p>\n

    Option 3:\u00a0 Have The Council Take Them<\/h2>\n

    If you are very lucky your local Council may be willing to take solar panels off your hands as part of a hard rubbish collection.\u00a0 If it’s for a residence and not a business, the Adelaide City Council will do this in the heart of Adelaide.\u00a0 But this is unusual.\u00a0 Many local councils won’t pick up electronic waste of any kind, so check first.<\/p>\n

    Option 4:\u00a0 Have A Scrap Dealer Take Them For Free<\/h2>\n

    I have heard rumors you may be be able to find scrap dealers who will take solar panels off your hands for free.\u00a0 While they may call themselves a recycler, don’t kid yourself all the material in them will be reused.\u00a0 What they will do is get their jawas to tear off the valuable and easy to recycle aluminium frames and rip the junction box off the back.\u00a0 They might not do anything with the junction box but it will make the panels easier to stack.\u00a0 They will then end up in landfill or “temporary disposal” which is where things that aren’t allowed to go in landfills end up.\u00a0 Sometimes forever.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    Toowoomba jawas attempt to sell a slightly used goanna.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Option 5:\u00a0 Pay For The Panels To Be Disposed Of As E-Waste<\/h2>\n

    You can pay to have your solar panels properly disposed of as electronic waste or e-waste, as the cool kids call it these days.\u00a0 If you turn up at your local e-waste disposal centre with just a few panels they may charge a flat fee for each, which could be $20.\u00a0 Alternatively, they may charge by weight and have you drive over a weighbridge.\u00a0 As a typical charge is $750 or more a tonne expect to pay around $14 to $20 per standard sized panel.<\/p>\n

    After you’ve paid for your solar panels to be properly disposed of as e-waste they still won’t be recycled.\u00a0 Not anytime soon at least.\u00a0 Instead the aluminium frames and junction boxes will be ripped off and the panels stacked in temporary storage.\u00a0 But, on the bright side, someone will probably think really hard about recycling them in the future.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    Remember kids, smoking will turn your CPU to e-waste.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Option 6:\u00a0 Can Solar Panels Be Recycled? Yes – If You Pay.<\/h2>\n

    The reason why your panels won’t be recycled any time soon if you pay for them to be disposed as e-waste is because there is only one solar panel recycler in Australia — Reclaim PV Recycling<\/a>.\u00a0 If you want panels properly recycled you have no choice other than lead yourself straight to the horse’s mouth and force it to drink.\u00a0 If you give them money, Reclaim will pick up solar panels from anywhere in Australia.1<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 For small numbers they charge $30 per panel.<\/p>\n

    They only take silicon solar panels<\/a>, basically all panels installed on roofs these days.\u00a0 But in the past First Solar<\/a> sold cadmium telluride<\/a>2<\/a><\/sup> panels for residential use.\u00a0 These are not common, but if you have them, they won’t take them.<\/p>\n

    They also won’t take solar panels that have been stripped of their aluminium frames.\u00a0 That’s the most valuable and easiest to recycle part, so it’s like offering someone a cupcake after you’ve licked the icing off.\u00a0 My little brother wouldn’t stand for that and neither will they.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    Solar panels after Reclaim PV Recycling has stripped them of their frames and ripped off their junction boxes but before they’ve recycled the body of the panel. (Image: Sydney Morning Herald)<\/p><\/div>\n

    Option 7:\u00a0 Shove Them Out Of The Way<\/h2>\n

    The final option is to not get rid of them but simply store them yourself.\u00a0 I class this as being the most costly choice because if you had a convenient place to store old panels you probably wouldn’t be reading this article about how to get rid of them in the first place.<\/p>\n

    While I’m not recommending storing old solar panels, the good news is they aren’t particularly dangerous and won’t cause any health problems if you have them hanging around.3<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 Compared to other electronics such as TVs, laptops, and mobile phones they are quite benign and far less toxic than the three most common things Australians store in their sheds, which are old paint tins, lawnmower parts, and spiders.<\/p>\n

    If you decide to store panels and they are kept out of sunlight in a dry location then — provided they aren’t crap — they should suffer minimal deterioration as they will be in a kinder environment than on a roof and should be in much the same condition years later if you find a use for them.\u00a0 But if you are intending for them to be used again you should make sure they aren’t banged around when they are removed from the roof and put into storage.\u00a0 While solar panels can survive a lot of punishment, it’s still not good to punish them.<\/p>\n

    But if they have been stored in damp conditions I don’t recommend ever trying to use them again. \u00a0Constant dampness is probably an express ticket to solar panel failure.<\/p>\n

    Solar Inverter Disposal<\/h2>\n

    If you have a working solar inverter<\/a> you want to get rid of, you can try selling it but don’t get your hopes up.\u00a0 If it’s an older inverter it won’t be up to current standards and can’t be connected to the grid.\u00a0 As no council is likely to pick it up, your best option is probably to pay to dispose of it as electronic waste.\u00a0 If you are charged by weight it’s likely to cost around 80 cents or so a kilogram.\u00a0 This should come to about $20 for a typical inverter of 5 kilowatts or less.\u00a0 You will have to transport it to the disposal site yourself unless you are willing to pay a lot more for pickup.<\/p>\n

    Almost all inverters are transformerless.\u00a0 But if your inverter is very old and very heavy it may be the transformer type and have enough valuable wiring and metal<\/a> inside for a scrap merchant to take it off your hands for free.\u00a0 You may even be able to get them to pay for it.<\/p>\n

    \"\"

    The reason we now have transformerless inverters is because the Transformer ones were just way too embarrassing.<\/p><\/div>\n

    Update 7th Oct 2019:\u00a0<\/strong> Electronic Recycling Australia<\/a> have told me will take dropped off old inverters for free.\u00a0 They are in SA and I’m afraid I don’t know of recyclers in other states that do the same, but they may exist.
    \n<\/em><\/p>\n

    Update 11th Oct<\/em><\/strong> 2019:<\/em>\u00a0 MRI e-cycle solutions<\/a> have told me will take solar inverters that are dropped off for free.\u00a0 They have sites in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

    Solar Mounting Hardware Disposal<\/h2>\n

    If you have hardware used to attach solar panels to roofs such as aluminium roof rails or stainless steel mounts and clamps lying around, the good news is it’s all scrap metal that’s worth money.\u00a0 It’s not worth a lot of money, but a little money is better than none.<\/p>\n

    The bad news is the price of scrap aluminium has plummeted to around $1 a kilogram.\u00a0 And it takes a lot of aluminium to make up a kilogram.\u00a0 A household aluminum ladder might only weigh around 7 kilograms.\u00a0 On the other hand, the price of scrap stainless steel has soared to around $1 or so a kilogram, which means there has never been a better time to be hit by an iron meteorite.<\/p>\n

    Electrical cabling usually contains copper which is around $6 a kilogram, but you’ll need a lot of cable for $6 worth.<\/p>\n

    You can drop your scrap off at a dealer or, if you have a lot, you can send them a picture and they can decide if it’s worth picking up.\u00a0 But don’t expect them to pay you as well unless you have a suspiciously large pile of components.<\/p>\n

    Future Panel Disposal May Be Prefunded<\/h2>\n

    When I researched this article I discovered Australia has a National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme<\/a>.\u00a0 There is a fee that is built into the purchase price of TVs and computers that pays for their disposal.\u00a0 If you take them to one of these locations<\/a> you can get rid of them for free.4<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 Here is a list of computer hardware<\/a> they will accept.<\/p>\n

    In the future there may be a similar scheme that will cover the disposal of solar panels.\u00a0 But, because they’re beneficial to the environment and the least toxic form of electronic waste I know of, they are probably the last electronic product we should put a fee on to pay for their disposal.\u00a0 But I still think we should get around to doing it at some point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    An unfortunate fact is solar panels eventually die.\u00a0 While good quality panels can survive over 30 years exposure to the elements, a crap one might fail after only two months because it was damaged when it left the factory.\u00a0 But whether your panels are the cream of the crop or scum off the top of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":33980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[507],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-and-the-environment","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUpgrading Your Solar System? 7 Ways To Dispose Of Old Solar Panels<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When faulty solar panels are replaced, the installer often carts off the old ones. But if you need to dispose of old solar panels, here are your options.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When faulty solar panels are replaced, the installer often carts off the old ones. But if you need to dispose of old solar panels, here are your options.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-04T02:23:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-11T04:48:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ronald Brakels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BrakelsRonald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ronald Brakels\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7\"},\"headline\":\"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-04T02:23:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-11T04:48:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\"},\"wordCount\":2210,\"commentCount\":40,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Solar and the Environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\",\"name\":\"Upgrading Your Solar System? 7 Ways To Dispose Of Old Solar Panels\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-04T02:23:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-11T04:48:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"When faulty solar panels are replaced, the installer often carts off the old ones. But if you need to dispose of old solar panels, here are your options.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628,\"caption\":\"Solar panel recycling and disposal\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Solar and the Environment\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-and-the-environment\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/\",\"https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7\",\"name\":\"Ronald Brakels\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Ronald Brakels\"},\"description\":\"Joining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Upgrading Your Solar System? 7 Ways To Dispose Of Old Solar Panels","description":"When faulty solar panels are replaced, the installer often carts off the old ones. But if you need to dispose of old solar panels, here are your options.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels","og_description":"When faulty solar panels are replaced, the installer often carts off the old ones. But if you need to dispose of old solar panels, here are your options.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2019-10-04T02:23:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-10-11T04:48:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ronald Brakels","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BrakelsRonald","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/"},"author":{"name":"Ronald Brakels","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7"},"headline":"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels","datePublished":"2019-10-04T02:23:09+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-11T04:48:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/"},"wordCount":2210,"commentCount":40,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg","articleSection":["Solar and the Environment"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/","name":"Upgrading Your Solar System? 7 Ways To Dispose Of Old Solar Panels","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-04T02:23:09+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-11T04:48:23+00:00","description":"When faulty solar panels are replaced, the installer often carts off the old ones. But if you need to dispose of old solar panels, here are your options.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"Solar panel recycling and disposal"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-recycling-disposal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Solar and the Environment","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-and-the-environment\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"7 Ways To Get Rid Of Unwanted Solar Panels"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0ce1779b3f5cb67cb4f146732af2fc7","name":"Ronald Brakels","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a252c73a3af84c860d5f55cb59b33133bd5403bb5c1c065d0e8ef95252f3237?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Ronald Brakels"},"description":"Joining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald"],"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/solar-recycling.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-8GT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53400,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bundaberg-solar-recycling-mb2133\/","url_meta":{"origin":33411,"position":0},"title":"Bundaberg Council Diverting Solar Panels From Landfill","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"August 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Queensland's Bundaberg Regional Council has introduced a hefty charge on disposing of unwanted solar panels at its waste facilities. Good quality solar panels should last for decades, but unfortunately not all that have been installed to date are good quality.\u00a0Solar panels are increasingly appearing in landfills - some the result\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar panel recycling in Bundaberg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/recycling-solar-panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/recycling-solar-panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/recycling-solar-panels.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/recycling-solar-panels.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/recycling-solar-panels.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40194,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/2020-panel-reliability-scorecard\/","url_meta":{"origin":33411,"position":1},"title":"2020 PV Reliability Scorecard: Astronergy, Canadian, Longi & REC Do Well","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"June 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"PV Evolution Labs, or PVEL for short, has published their 2020 PV Module Reliability Scorecard.\u00a0 This annual report reveals the Top Performers from their latest round of solar panel testing.\u00a0 The information given is limited.\u00a0 We're only told which panels suffered little deterioration from testing. PVEL do not reveal which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"peel 2020 pv module reliability scorecard","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-reliability-scorecard.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-reliability-scorecard.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-reliability-scorecard.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-reliability-scorecard.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-reliability-scorecard.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26751,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-degradation\/","url_meta":{"origin":33411,"position":2},"title":"Do Solar Panels Degrade Over Time? Yes, But Not By Much","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"January 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar panels are amazing things.\u00a0 They cut pollution, save planets, and -- by draining its power -- move us closer to humanity's ancient dream of destroying the sun.\u00a0 But they're not quite perfect.\u00a0 If you happen to buy the cheapest panels you can get your hands on I'm sure you'll\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"solar degradation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/solar-degradation.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/solar-degradation.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/solar-degradation.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/solar-degradation.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/solar-degradation.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40900,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/leapton-solar-panels-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":33411,"position":3},"title":"Leapton Solar Panels Review: Tier 1 Panels Made In China By Japanese Company","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"July 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Update August 12, 2022. There has been some confusion regarding Leapton's Australian presence, support and warranty services. Find out what's happening here; including new support and warranty contact information. Update 9th of March 2021: Leapton Solar recently opened an office in Australia and their phone number is 1800 717 636.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"made in china","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/leapton-japan-china.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/leapton-japan-china.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/leapton-japan-china.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/leapton-japan-china.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/leapton-japan-china.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31520,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-backsheet-defects\/","url_meta":{"origin":33411,"position":4},"title":"Solar Panel Backsheet Defects Rising Says DuPont PV Reliability Report","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"July 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"On the 19th of June DuPont, the world's largest chemical company, released their Global PV Reliability 2019 Field Analysis report.\u00a0 It contains disturbing news on the reliability of plastic backsheets used for solar panels. Fortunately, polyvinyl fluoride Tedlar plastic backsheets have an incredibly low failure rate. And those backsheets just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"solar panel back sheet failure","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/backsheet-defect.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/backsheet-defect.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/backsheet-defect.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/backsheet-defect.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/backsheet-defect.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18291,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/black-solar-panels-efficiency\/","url_meta":{"origin":33411,"position":5},"title":"Black Solar Panels: Is Lower Efficiency Worth The Sexy?","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"January 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Black Solar Panels Are Hot!\u00a0 This Reduces Efficiency. I want you to think about someone you know who has rooftop solar.\u00a0 It doesn't matter who.\u00a0 It could be a friend, a relative, or that handsome bearded man you've been stalking for months -- it doesn't matter.\u00a0 I want you to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"black solar panels","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/black-solar-panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/black-solar-panels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/black-solar-panels.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/black-solar-panels.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/black-solar-panels.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/black-solar-panels.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33411"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34128,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33411\/revisions\/34128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}