What to do with used or broken solar panels in Chile?

By the EcoBaterías technical teamPublished September 15, 2026Updated October 9, 2026Reviewed by the EPR compliance lead

Test first, decide second. In a repowering, according to the EU QUASAR project, at least half of the removed modules are usually in good enough condition for reuse, so sending them straight to recycling destroys value. In Chile an end-of-life panel is handled as hazardous waste unless it is declassified, and Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025 sets collection and valorization targets from May 2028. EcoBaterías tests every module, repairs what can be fixed, reuses or sells the ones that qualify with measured power and manages the recycling of the rest with authorized receiving facilities, which issue the valorization certificate.

Source: EcoBaterías Solar Observatory · 2026-09-11

How many panels are decommissioned in Chile, and why?

The EcoBaterías Solar Observatory tracks 756 photovoltaic plants in operation in Chile, adding up to 12,884 MW of nameplate capacity and about 34.9 million modules installed, equivalent to roughly 1.0 Mt of material that will reach end of life. Around 6,016 t of broken modules have already been generated.

Source: EcoBaterías Solar Observatory · 2026-09-11

The flow does not arrive all at once. Through 2029 the stream is early and steady — construction breakage, operating faults, warranty claims and accidents — in the order of 55,000 to 80,000 modules per year. The large wave arrives when the supply contracts of the 2013–2016 plants expire and the flow jumps to 400,000–850,000 modules in expiry years: El Romero in 2030 (776,000 modules), El Pelícano in 2033, Amanecer Solar CAP and Pozo Almonte II+III in 2034, and Javiera in 2035. The first plant to reach technical end of life is Tambo Real, in 2037. If your plant is on that list, see solar plant repowering.

Source: EcoBaterías Solar Observatory · 2026-09-11

Chile’s Ministry of the Environment, for its part, estimates about 11,000 t of module waste in 2024, mostly from damage in transport, installation and operation. The two series are different and are not added together.

Source: Ministry of the Environment, Res. Ex. 3413/2025, final proposal of DS 22/2025 (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-26

What does the law require?

• Chile’s Extended Producer Responsibility law (Ley REP, Law No. 20,920): valorization covers preparing for reuse, recycling and energy recovery (art. 3 No. 30). Checking, cleaning or repairing a panel so it can be used again is preparing for reuse (art. 3 No. 18). Every waste holder must hand its waste to an authorized waste manager (art. 5).
• Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025: published on May 7, 2026, with targets enforceable 24 months later (May 2028). For photovoltaic modules: 10% in the third year (2030) and 50% in the tenth (2037), measured against estimated waste. Installations above 1 MW will have to report every year to the RETC (Chile’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register), before May 31, the panels in use and their projected waste. The detail is in our guide to DS 22/2025 and the EPR targets for solar panels.
• Supreme Decree (DS) 148/2003: according to Chile’s Ministry of Energy, an end-of-life or damaged module is handled as hazardous waste unless declassified: storage of up to 6 months, transport with a health permit, a declaration document in SIDREP, Chile’s national hazardous-waste declaration and tracking system, and an authorized receiving facility.
• SEC: Chile’s electricity regulator authorizes modules by brand and model, based on certificates for the new product; there is no authorization route for used or refurbished modules, and RGR No. 02/2024 bans installing modules with breaks or cracks.

Sources: Law No. 20,920, Library of the National Congress of Chile (opens in a new tab) · DS 22/2025, Official Gazette (opens in a new tab) · Ministry of the Environment, Res. Ex. 3413/2025 (opens in a new tab) · DS 148/2003 (opens in a new tab) · Ministry of Energy, Roadmap 2026–2030 (opens in a new tab) · SEC, RGR No. 02/2024 (open in a new tab) · 2026-09-26

What to do depending on the panel’s condition?

Swipe to see the full table

In every case, if the batch has to be moved, we coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers.

How much power does a used module retain?

It depends on the module and its history, so it is measured. As a reference, the median degradation NREL found across some 2,000 measurements is 0.5% per year. In Brazil, 23-year-old polycrystalline modules kept 87 to 88% of their nameplate power. In Australia, of 3,749 decommissioned panels, 58% were still fit for a second life, with a median remaining service life of about 12 years.

Sources: NREL, Jordan and Kurtz (opens in a new tab) · pv magazine, 2026-03-31 (UFSC) (opens in a new tab) · pv magazine, 2026-08-19 (ANU and CSIRO) (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-26

A real batch mixes modules that beat those figures with modules carrying cell cracks, hot spots or insulation loss. That is why testing is done module by module when the batch is going to be sold, as the draft IEC PAS 63525 recommends: visual inspection, dry and wet insulation, electroluminescence to reveal cracks invisible to the eye and an I-V curve to measure real power. A module can pass dry insulation and fail wet leakage: in a 2026 study, 8.1% failed dry and 21.6% failed wet. Each test is explained in solar panel testing.

Sources: IEA-PVPS T13-37:2026 (opens in a new tab) · Sustainability 18(3):1212, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-26

With those results the module falls into one of four grades, the same criterion we apply to the reuse of decommissioned panels.

Swipe to see the full table

Source: EcoBaterías test protocol (our own classification, not a standard) · 2026-09-26

What can be repaired and what cannot?

Faults outside the laminate can be repaired: junction box, bypass diodes, connectors, cables and frame. According to IEA-PVPS these are mature repairs (TRL 9) and, except for cable or connector replacements, they are validated with a new wet leakage test. A cracked backsheet can sometimes be sealed, and potential-induced degradation (PID) recovers only in part.

Broken glass, delamination reaching the edge and burned cells cannot be repaired. Those modules go to recycling, where the aluminum frame, the glass and the metals are recovered. What can be fixed, how it is tested before and after and what it costs are in solar panel repair; the recycling circuit is in solar panel recycling in Chile.

Source: IEA-PVPS T13-37:2026, Table 1 (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-26

Testing takes about 6 minutes per module in the lab, with 50 to 100 modules per day. That matters for planning: a batch of 10,000 modules is not tested in a week.

Source: EcoBaterías test protocol · 2026-09-26

Can a used panel be installed again?

The SEC authorizes modules by brand and model, based on IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certificates for the new product, and there is no authorization route for used or refurbished modules as such. A used panel keeps its brand, model and nameplate; the installation declared to the SEC is defined by the licensed electrical installer, and it is advisable to check with the SEC before connecting used modules to the grid. If you are looking to buy, in used and refurbished solar panels every module comes with its measured power, EL image and insulation test.

Sources: SEC Res. Ex. 32427/2020 (opens in a new tab) · SEC, RGR No. 02/2024 (opens in a new tab) · 2026-09-26

How is a batch handed over?

1. Inventory. Brand, model, year, quantity, nameplate power and reason for removal.
2. Sample. We test a representative sample to estimate the grade distribution before the whole batch is moved.
3. Storage. Modules on pallets, with nothing on top and without overstacking; broken units on a separate labeled pallet.
4. Transport. We coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers when the batch is waste; undamaged panels that go back into service travel as general cargo.
5. Result. A report for every module, a measured-power label for the reusable ones and a valorization certificate, issued by the authorized receiving facility, for whatever goes to recycling.

If you also have end-of-life batteries on the same site, preparing that batch follows different rules: they are in our guide on how to prepare end-of-life batteries for recycling, and the handover circuit is in where to recycle lithium batteries in Chile.

Frequently asked questions

Is a used solar panel hazardous waste in Chile?

According to Chile’s Ministry of Energy, an end-of-life or damaged panel is handled as hazardous waste unless it is declassified under Supreme Decree (DS) 148/2003. That means limited storage, transport with a health permit, a SIDREP declaration document and an authorized receiving facility. That is why it pays to test the batch before moving it: undamaged panels that go back into service travel as general cargo.

How much power does a decommissioned module retain?

It depends on the module and its history, which is why it is measured with an I-V curve, module by module. As a reference, the median degradation measured by NREL is 0.5% per year; in Brazil, 23-year-old polycrystalline modules kept 87 to 88% of their nameplate power (UFSC, via pv magazine), and in Australia 58% of 3,749 decommissioned panels were still fit for a second life (ANU and CSIRO, via pv magazine).

What can be repaired on a panel and what cannot?

The junction box, bypass diodes, connectors, cables and frame can be repaired: according to IEA-PVPS these are mature repairs, validated with a new wet leakage test. Broken glass, delamination reaching the edge and burned cells cannot: those modules go to recycling, where the aluminum, glass and metals are recovered.

Does reuse count toward Chile’s EPR law?

Yes. Law No. 20,920 defines valorization as preparing for reuse, recycling and energy recovery (art. 3 No. 30), and checking, cleaning or repairing a product so it can be used again is preparing for reuse (art. 3 No. 18). DS 22/2025 sets the collection and valorization targets for panels, enforceable from May 2028.

What do I receive when I hand over a batch of panels?

A test report for every module with its grade, a measured-power label on the modules that are reused and a valorization certificate from the authorized receiving facility for the material that goes to recycling, with the number of modules, the mass and the destination of each fraction. That certificate supports your waste reporting and your Law No. 20,920 report.

Updated October 9, 2026 · Reviewed by the EcoBaterías EPR compliance lead