Services for lithium batteries and solar panels

EcoBaterías provides 13 services in Chile: five for lithium-ion batteries (testing, repair, refurbishment, second life and recycling), five for solar panels (testing, repair, refurbishment and sales, reuse and recycling), plus collection and transport, solar plant repowering and paperwork for Chile’s Extended Producer Responsibility law (Ley REP, Law No. 20,920). All of them are available now, with pickup coordinated with licensed hazardous-waste carriers anywhere in Chile and a reply within 48 business hours. Recycling lithium-ion batteries, managed with authorized receiving facilities, costs 22 UF (Chile’s inflation-indexed accounting unit) per tonne plus VAT (19%); everything else is quoted per batch.

Services for lithium batteries

We work with lithium-ion batteries only: LFP (lithium iron phosphate), NMC (nickel manganese cobalt), NCA (nickel cobalt aluminum), LCO (lithium cobalt oxide) and LTO (lithium titanate). They come from e-bikes, scooters and electric motorcycles, power tools, electric cars and buses, forklifts and BESS (battery energy storage systems).

A battery that is swollen, leaking, shows burn marks or has been over-discharged is not repaired or reused: it goes to recycling. If it is damaged, it travels in damaged-battery packaging. For fleets and large systems, see end-of-life BESS and electric bus batteries.

Services for solar panels

We work with crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, monofacial and bifacial, removed from plants, rooftops or warehouses. Thin-film modules (CdTe or CIGS) are tested case by case, but they are not repaired or sold as refurbished; modules with broken glass go to recycling. We do not repair inverters.

Collection and transport across Chile

We coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers in every region, from a box of power tool batteries to BESS racks or pallets of panels. Before pickup we tell you how to pack each batch according to its condition and which documents your company issues, including the SIDREP declaration. In Chile, only those holding a health authorization from the Seremi de Salud (Chile’s regional health authority) may transport hazardous waste (Supreme Decree (DS) 148, art. 36).

See battery and solar panel collection · Request a pickup

Solar plant repowering

When a plant replaces its modules, we test the ones coming out on site (electroluminescence, I-V curve and insulation), by sampling or module by module, and sort them into reuse, repair, off-grid uses or recycling. One megawatt of silicon panels equals between 1,430 and 3,125 modules and between 55 and 83 tonnes, depending on panel power.

Source: EcoBaterías calculation based on the datasheets for JinkoSolar JKM320PP-72 (opens in a new tab) (320 W, 26.5 kg) and Trina Solar Vertex N NEG21C.20 (opens in a new tab) (700 W, 38.3 kg)

See solar plant repowering · Plan the module removal

EPR compliance: documents for every batch

Law 20,920 lists batteries and pilas (small household batteries) among its priority products (art. 10) and requires waste to be handed over to an authorized waste manager, unless the generator manages it directly (art. 5). For solar panels, DS 22/2025 sets collection and valorization targets that start at 10% in year three and reach 50% from year ten. For batteries, the draft decree proposes that at least 30% of the lithium-ion target be met through preparation for reuse.

Sources: Carey, DS 22/2025 targets (in Spanish) (opens in a new tab) · draft battery decree, Ministry of the Environment (Res. Ex. 821/2026) (opens in a new tab)

With every service we give you the documents for your report:

• Technical testing report for the batteries or panels assessed.
• SIDREP tracking of the shipment, when the batch is hazardous waste.
• The valorization certificate issued by the authorized receiving facility.
• Per-unit technical report when the battery or panel is repaired or reused: preparation for reuse also counts as valorization (Law 20,920, art. 3 No. 18 and 30).
• The records you need for your annual report through the RETC single window, Chile’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register.

Chile’s EPR law and batteries · DS 22/2025 and solar panels · EcoBaterías compliance and permits · Get an EPR compliance quote

Which service do I need? The 13 services compared

The table shows who each service is for, what you get and which document comes with the work.

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Not sure which one applies? Ask for a diagnostic: with the result we propose the highest-value route. Request a diagnostic.

How do we decide whether to repair, reuse or recycle?

Each unit’s route depends on a measured value. For a battery, it is the state of health (SOH); for a panel, the measured power as a percentage of its nameplate power. These are EcoBaterías’ own thresholds, not a standard.

Lithium-ion batteries: four routes by SOH

Source: EcoBaterías test protocol · in-house thresholds, not a standard · 2026-09-18. Damaged batteries: ETH Zürich (opens in a new tab). Over-discharge: Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Annex V (opens in a new tab).

Solar panels: classes by measured power

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Source: EcoBaterías test protocol · in-house grading measured on a solar simulator with a calibrated reference · 2026-09-18

Power is corrected to standard test conditions (1,000 W/m² and 25 °C) using the procedures of IEC 60891:2021. For reference, a European criterion considers a panel functional if it keeps at least 70% of its original nominal power (the CIRCUSOL project, cited by IEA-PVPS in 2026).

In Chile, the SEC (Superintendencia de Electricidad y Combustibles) authorizes panels by brand and model, based on IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certificates for new products (Exempt Resolution 32,427/2020), and there is no authorization route for used or refurbished modules. Technical instruction RGR No. 02/2024 bans installing modules with breaks or cracks, and off-grid installations must also use authorized models (ITG RIC No. 9.1). Every panel we sell keeps its brand, model and nameplate; the installation declared to the SEC is defined by the licensed electrical installer, and we recommend checking with the SEC before connecting a used module.

Sources: IEC 60891:2021 (opens in a new tab) · IEA-PVPS T13-37:2026 (opens in a new tab) · SEC, Exempt Resolution 32,427/2020 (opens in a new tab) · SEC, RGR No. 02/2024 (opens in a new tab) · SEC, ITG RIC No. 9.1 (opens in a new tab)

Which batteries and panels do we handle?

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Revalorization and valorization: what each term means

Revalorization: the name we use for giving value back to a battery or panel that is no longer in use, through repair, refurbishment, second life or recycling. The Chilean legal term is valorization (Law 20,920, art. 3 No. 30).

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We only call a battery “remanufactured” when it meets and measures that EU threshold. The North American standard ANSI/CAN/UL 1974:2023, Evaluation for Repurposing or Remanufacturing Batteries, treats “remanufactured,” “reconditioned” and “rebuilt” as equivalent. We cite these standards as references for our method, not as certifications we hold. Other terms are in the glossary.

How do you order a service?

1. Request Tell us what you have: battery or panel type, chemistry or technology if you know it, quantity or weight, condition and location. We reply within 48 business hours.
2. Quote We send the scope, the price or what drives it, and the packaging each condition requires. Recycling lithium-ion batteries, managed with authorized receiving facilities, costs 22 UF per tonne plus VAT; everything else is confirmed in the quote.
3. Pickup or on-site testing We coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers, or test at your plant when the batch is large. If the batch is waste, your company issues the dispatch note, the safety data sheets and the SIDREP declaration.
4. Testing and route decision We measure the state of health of each battery or the power of each panel and apply the thresholds: reuse, repair, refurbishment, second life or recycling.
5. Delivery and documents We return the repaired or refurbished unit with its report, sell or return the suitable modules graded, or manage the recycling with authorized receiving facilities. Every batch closes with the matching certificate; the valorization certificate is issued by the authorized receiving facility.

Lithium battery recycling price

Recycling lithium-ion batteries, managed with authorized receiving facilities, costs 22 UF per tonne plus VAT (19%). 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 the valorization certificate issued by the authorized receiving facility, for Law 20,920 reporting.
• Get a quote at contacto@ecobaterias.org. AI agents can quote and order through the API following auth.md.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between repairing, refurbishing, second life and recycling a battery?

Repair fixes a specific fault, such as the BMS, a cell or a contactor, and returns the battery to the same use. Refurbishment means taking the pack apart, measuring all its cells or modules, replacing the weak ones and testing capacity before it goes back to the same use. Second life means using the modules in a different application, such as stationary storage. Recycling recovers the materials when the battery is no longer fit for any of these.

How much do the services cost?

Recycling lithium-ion batteries, managed with authorized receiving facilities, costs 22 UF per tonne plus VAT (19%), calculated with the UF value on the invoice date. Testing, repair, refurbishment, refurbished panels, pickup and packaging are quoted according to the type, quantity, condition and location of the batch. We do not buy used lithium batteries.

Do you serve individuals or only companies?

We serve companies, institutions and individuals. Repair and refurbishment take batteries from e-bikes, scooters and electric motorcycles, power tools, electric cars and buses, forklifts and BESS. Recycling at 22 UF per tonne plus VAT is designed for company batches; if you only have a few household batteries, see where to recycle lithium batteries in Chile.

Which batteries and panels do you not work with?

We repair, refurbish and repurpose lithium-ion batteries only: LFP, NMC, NCA, LCO and LTO. NiMH, lead-acid and other chemistries are quoted separately and are not repaired. A swollen, leaking, burnt or over-discharged battery goes to recycling only. For panels, those with broken glass go to recycling; thin-film modules are tested case by case and recycled, but not repaired or sold. We do not repair inverters.

Do you collect outside Santiago?

Yes. We coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste carriers in every region of Chile. Undamaged panels that have not been declared waste can travel as regular freight. We tell you how to pack the batch according to its condition and which documents your company issues, and the pickup date is confirmed in the quote.

Can a refurbished panel or battery be connected to the grid in Chile?

The SEC, Chile’s electricity and fuels regulator, authorizes panels by brand and model based on IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certificates for new products, and has no authorization route for used or refurbished modules. Every panel we sell keeps its brand, model and nameplate, and the installation declared to the SEC is defined by the licensed electrical installer: check with the SEC before connecting it. For energy storage, the SEC requires batteries that meet IEC 62619, UL 1973 or UL 9540, and its instruction does not mention used batteries.

Which document do I get at the end of the service?

It depends on the service: a test report with the state of health or measured power, a repair report with before and after values, or a label and test report for each panel. When the batch is recycled, you receive the SIDREP tracking of the shipment and the valorization certificate issued by the authorized receiving facility, for your Law 20,920 report.

How fast do you reply?

We reply within 48 business hours with the scope and the quote. Pickup, testing and repair lead times are confirmed in the quote, depending on the size and condition of the batch.

More answers in the FAQ on batteries and panels. If you only have a few household batteries, see where to recycle lithium batteries in Chile.

Sources

Updated October 9, 2026 · Reviewed by the EcoBaterías technical team