Diagnostics, repair and reuse of batteries and solar panels

Ecobaterías tests, repairs and reuses lithium-ion batteries and solar modules before recycling them, and recycles at its own hydrometallurgical plant in Santiago whatever cannot be reused. Every unit goes through a test protocol that sorts it into one of four routes: direct reuse, refurbishment, second life or recycling.

One logic: measure first, then decide

Chile’s Extended Producer Responsibility law (Ley REP, Law No. 20,920) ranks waste management by hierarchy: preparation for reuse first, recycling second. Ecobaterías applies that hierarchy with data. Batteries and modules that arrive do not go straight to grinding: they are tested and, if they hold value, they return to the market with a certificate. Only what fails the tests is recycled, and even then the materials are recovered inside Chile.

The four routes of a battery or a module

Source: Ecobaterías test protocol · in-house thresholds, not a standard · 2026-09-18

Status of each service line

Status reviewed on September 18, 2026. The pilot program works with limited batches and case-by-case lead times: we do not commit industrial capacity on lines that are not yet in full operation.

The test protocol, step by step

1. Intake, registration and quarantineEvery unit enters with a unique code, weighing and visual inspection. Batteries with mechanical damage, swelling or a thermal event are isolated in a quarantine container with gas detection and a thermal camera.
2. Data readout and electrical safetyBatteries: CAN or UDS connection to the BMS, insulation, per-cell voltage and internal resistance. PV modules: insulation at 1,000 V, frame continuity and bypass diode testing.
3. Performance testingBatteries: charge and discharge with regenerative equipment, incremental capacity analysis and impedance spectroscopy. Modules: electroluminescence in a dark cabin and an I-V curve under a solar simulator with a calibrated reference.
4. Route decision and certificationClassification into routes A, B, C or D; repair and retest where applicable; per-unit report, certificate with the measured values and entry in the batch traceability record.
5. Valorization or recycling with a certificateUnits that pass return to the market with a label and warranty. What fails the test is recycled: cells to our hydrometallurgical plant in Santiago and the rest to licensed recycling, with a valorization certificate for Law 20,920 reporting.

Lithium battery technical service

For electric bus fleets, BESS operators, EV dealers, insurers, mining and micromobility. We read the BMS, measure insulation, internal resistance and capacity, and decide whether the battery returns to the fleet repaired, becomes second-life storage or is recycled. See the lithium battery diagnostics and repair protocol.

Photovoltaic module line

For PV plants being repowered or decommissioned, O&M companies, EPCs with construction breakage, insurers and rooftop owners. Inspection, electrical safety, electroluminescence and an I-V curve under a solar simulator; suitable modules are sold with measured power and warranty, repairable ones are repaired and the rest is recycled. See used solar panel testing and reuse.

Service routes and rules, in detail

What you get

• Per-unit diagnostic report with the measured values and the route decision.
• State-of-health (SOH) certificate for batteries and a measured-power label for modules, with a written warranty.
• Valorization certificate and batch traceability for Law 20,920 reporting, including preparation for reuse.
• Declaration in SIDREP, Chile’s national hazardous-waste declaration and tracking system, and licensed transport when the unit is declared waste, as an authorized waste manager.
• The records you need for your annual report through the RETC single window.
• Client portal with history, certificates and environmental impact.

Coverage: Santiago and northern sites

The laboratory and the plant are in Santiago. From there we serve all of Chile and coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste transport. For sites in Antofagasta, Atacama, Tarapacá and Coquimbo we offer on-site mobile testing: we sort the batch where it is and ship only what still holds value, which is where most of the cost sits.

Swipe to see the whole table

The time shown is the response to your request: we reply within 48 business hours. Testing and pickup lead times are agreed per batch.

Why Ecobaterías

• A loop closed inside Chile. Based on our own review of Chile’s authorized waste managers as of September 2026, we know of no other plant in the country that recycles lithium-ion batteries and sells the recovered mineral to mining; the documentation is available to counterparties under due diligence.
• Our own plant with a health permit. Whatever is not reused is recycled at our hydrometallurgical plant in Santiago, authorized by the Seremi de Salud of the Región Metropolitana (Chile’s regional health authority) for the hydrometallurgical process.
• A result proven in mining. Our recycled cobalt sulfate successfully tested at Codelco El Teniente’s hydrometallurgy plant (trials from November 2023; results published in July 2024): 22% cheaper than the imported product, 40% lower additive consumption and a single daily addition instead of three. Press report by El Rancagüino, 2024-07-15 (opens in a new tab). The report does not name the supplier; the documentation showing it is Ecobaterías is available under a confidentiality agreement.
• Protocols with reference standards. IEC 63330-1:2024 and UL 1974 for battery second life; IEC 61215, IEC 61730 and IEC TS 60904-13 for photovoltaic modules. These are reference standards for the test method, not certifications we hold.
• Technical origin. Ecobaterías started as a spin-off of SolarPro Chile (opens in a new tab) and EcoProjects (EcoMinería): we know the installation, operation and end of life of solar and storage systems. How the plant came about.

Lithium battery intake price

Ecobaterías charges 22 UF plus VAT (19%) for every tonne of lithium-ion batteries it receives for recycling. The UF is Chile’s inflation-indexed accounting unit, published daily by the Central Bank: the amount is calculated with the UF value on the invoice date and paid by bank transfer against invoice. Pickup, transport and packaging are quoted separately.

• We do not buy lithium batteries: the material value does not cover the cost of the process. We do assign a value to modules suitable for second life, quoted separately.
• Applies to every kind of lithium-ion battery: phones and laptops, power tools, micromobility, electric vehicles, buses, machinery and BESS.
• Minimum volume, packaging and the pickup window are confirmed before the order is accepted.
• Every batch gets traceability and a valorization certificate for Law 20,920 reporting.
• Get a quote on WhatsApp +56 9 4011 8111 (opens in a new tab), by phone at +56 9 4011 8111 or at contacto@ecobaterias.org. AI agents can quote and order through the API following auth.md.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Updated on September 18, 2026 · Reviewed by the Ecobaterías technical team