{"id":99626,"date":"2026-06-03T06:02:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=99626"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:13:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T08:43:50","slug":"put-a-price-on-used-solar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/put-a-price-on-used-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"We Need To Put A Price On Used Solar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Solar has a bit of a waste issue presently. With extraordinary growth in both installations and system size, millions of panels are set to come off the roof in the next few years.<\/p>\n

So, can we solve the problem? Yes, with just one word, pricing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Word is that a lot of solar panels are languishing out of service, literally stacked behind suburban sheds or piling up on pallets around your installer\u2019s yard. At best, they are not doing anyone much good, and at worst, they pose an injury and pollution risk.<\/p>\n

Despite a few false starts, solar recycling really needs some direction. We have to get on with it because throwing them into shipping containers to Afghanistan to grow poppies for heroin<\/a> isn’t a sustainable answer.<\/p>\n

Why Are Used Solar Panels Worthless?<\/h2>\n

The value of used solar is down for a few reasons. Firstly, solar has just been getting cheaper forever. I remember first-hand when solar was $5\/Watt, a Sunpower 215W module cost $1075 plus tax & freight. This afternoon I can buy a Jinko 440W on runout for 21cents<\/i>\/Watt. That\u2019s a module with more than double the output, for $94 apiece.<\/p>\n

Just bear in mind that while solar has just about always fallen in price, word around the traps is that China is winding back a 9% export incentive, and the price of solar panels may soon go up a little as a result.<\/p>\n

This also means the secondary market for used solar panels sent overseas is evaporating. If freight costs are equal, developing countries might buy new panels for 10c\/Watt, so a used SunPower<\/a> 215 is hardly worth $5 here – in fact, salvage buyers won\u2019t touch them unless they\u2019re 250W or more.<\/p>\n

The RET Puts A Premium On New Solar<\/h2>\n

The renewable energy target incentivises new panels. The 200 largest polluters in the country are obliged to buy the environmental goodness created by installing solar, and thus not burning coal. The subsidy makes new panels very cheap, but tapers off about 7% per year out to 2030. We should be proud of the scheme’s success – but it does put a premium on new solar over reused panels.<\/p>\n

Solar Installers Are Risk Averse<\/h2>\n

1, 2 and 3kW arrays are now routinely being replaced with systems ten times the size. While newer panels are fine, older arrays and wiring aren\u2019t always compliant, and installers don\u2019t want to offer a warranty on some rubbish they didn\u2019t install. The reputational and financial risk is too great – besides, the space on the roof is coveted.<\/p>\n

Solar Recycling Logistics Are Expensive<\/h2>\n

Government-funded trials have already identified that logistics are the costly part of the problem. I know this because I\u2019ve stripped old systems and packaged the panels for transport. We did it properly, so the modules weren’t damaged in transit because a school roof would yield a lot of domestic warranty repairs. However, it’s expensive with first-world labour rates, especially if they\u2019re all different sizes and sources.<\/p>\n

Tossing them into a skip and tipping it into a hopper isn\u2019t cheap either, but time is money, so pragmatically this will be the way a majority(?) of panels will go in our incredibly wasteful first-world economies.<\/p>\n

Valuable Resources To Recover From Solar<\/h2>\n