Solar plant repowering and decommissioning: test, reuse and recycle the modules

When a solar plant is repowered, Ecobaterías tests the modules being removed at the plant (electroluminescence, I-V curve and insulation), by sampling or module by module, and sorts them into four routes: reuse, repair, off-grid use or recycling. Each megawatt of silicon panels equals 1,430 to 3,125 modules and 55 to 83 metric tons, depending on panel power. We coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste transport and close every batch with a test report and a valorization certificate for Supreme Decree (DS) 22/2025.

What is solar plant repowering?

Repowering a plant means increasing its nameplate capacity by replacing components with new equipment, mainly modules and inverters. Revamping also replaces components, but to restore performance without substantially changing nameplate capacity or using new land. Both definitions come from the T13-37 report (2026) of IEA-PVPS, the photovoltaic program of the International Energy Agency. Decommissioning is the complete removal of the plant.

In all three cases modules come out, and a test, not the age of the plant, decides where they go. More technical terms are in the glossary.

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Source: IEA-PVPS, report T13-37 (2026), table 3 (opens in a new tab), for the definitions of repowering and revamping.

Why are plants repowered?

SolarPower Europe’s operation and maintenance guidelines (version 6.0) group the reasons into four:

• Degradation and end of life of modules and inverters.
• Irreparable defects with no identical replacement: the same components are unlikely to still be manufactured.
• Efficiency and power density: current modules deliver more power on the same land.
• Regulatory or subsidy changes.

In Chile, power purchase agreements (PPAs) expiring add a fifth driver. When a PPA expires, the owner can renew it, sell the energy on the market or repower; in all three cases someone has to decide what happens to the installed modules. According to the Ecobaterías Solar Observatory, the flow of removed modules stays between 55,000 and 80,000 a year through 2029 and rises to between 400,000 and 850,000 in the years when PPAs expire (2030 and 2033–2035). The plant-by-plant detail is in the timeline.

Sources: SolarPower Europe, O&M Best Practice Guidelines v6.0 (opens in a new tab) · Ecobaterías Solar Observatory, cut-off of 2026-09-11.

How many modules and tons come out per MW?

It depends on the power and weight of each module. A plant with 320 W panels removes more than twice as many modules per MW as one with current 700 W panels, and about 50% more tons.

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Source: our own calculation from the datasheets of JinkoSolar JKM320PP-72 (opens in a new tab), Trina Solar Vertex N (opens in a new tab) and First Solar Series 4 (opens in a new tab), and the base case of the QUASAR project, D2.2 (2025) (opens in a new tab). IRENA (2016) cites earlier studies that used 100 t per MW as a first approximation.

Two Chilean references: El Romero (Vallenar) has 776,000 polycrystalline silicon modules across 246 MWp, operating since November 2016, which works out to about 3,150 modules per MWp at 317 W on average. Amanecer Solar CAP (Copiapó) has more than 310,000 modules across 100 MW, operating since June 2014.

Example: repowering 100 MW of 320 W modules removes about 312,500 modules and close to 8,300 metric tons. For transport planning, a current 2.28 × 1.13 m module weighs 32 kg; a factory pallet holds 36 modules (≈1.15 t) and a 40-foot high-cube container holds 720 (≈23 t).

Sources: Acciona Energía, El Romero plant (opens in a new tab) · Power Technology, Amanecer Solar CAP (opens in a new tab) · JinkoSolar, Tiger Neo 72HL4-BDV datasheet (2025) (opens in a new tab). The totals in the example are our own calculation.

On-site testing: sampling or module by module?

Testing decides where each module goes, and it happens at the plant, before the batch moves. Our method is aligned with the draft of IEC PAS 63525, the first International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) document on PV module reuse. It is not published yet: in August 2026 it was in the final approval stage. According to the IEA-PVPS summary, the draft sets out two approaches:

• Sampling, for operating plants with uniform degradation. It relies on monitoring history, maintenance tickets, thermography reports and the insulation faults logged by the inverter. The sample follows ISO 2859-1: in a plant with 125,000 modules, general level G1 calls for 200 modules and special level S3 for 32.
• Module by module, mandatory for plants damaged by hail or wind and for modules already stacked in storage. The draft also recommends testing every module that will be sold.

At a minimum, the sample goes through four tests: maximum power at standard test conditions (STC: 1,000 W/m² and 25 °C), measured on the I-V curve, which relates the module’s current and voltage; electroluminescence (EL), an image of the light the module emits when current is injected in the dark, which reveals microcracks and inactive cells; a detailed visual inspection; and wet leakage, which measures insulation with the module wetted in a conductive solution.

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Sources: IEC TS 62446-3:2017 (opens in a new tab) · IEC 61215-2:2021, preview (opens in a new tab) · IEC 60891:2021 (opens in a new tab) · IEC TS 60904-13:2018 (opens in a new tab) · IEA-PVPS T13-10:2018 (opens in a new tab) · Millennial Solar, wet leakage (opens in a new tab) · IEA-PVPS T13-37:2026 (opens in a new tab) · IEC PAS 63525 status at iss.rs (opens in a new tab).

Why wet leakage and not just dry insulation? In a 2026 study of 37 modules from utility-scale plants, 8.1% failed dry and 21.6% failed wet. In Australia, of 3,749 decommissioned modules analyzed by ANU and CSIRO, 58.1% passed, with a median remaining service life of about 12 years; of those that passed the I-V curve and electroluminescence, about 14% failed wet leakage.

Sources: Sustainability 18(3):1212, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · pv magazine, 2026-08-19 (opens in a new tab).

In our laboratory, testing one module takes about 6 minutes, and one day covers 50 to 100 modules. That is testing capacity, not a committed lead time: at the plant, the pace depends on access and the dismantling plan. The full scope of each test is on solar panel testing.

Source: Ecobaterías testing protocol · 2026-09-18.

What happens to the removed modules?

Testing assigns each module to one of four routes. The power classes are Ecobaterías’ own threshold, measured against nameplate power; the IEC standards are the method, not a certification of ours.

Source: Ecobaterías testing protocol · 2026-09-18. Our own classification, measured against a calibrated reference; it is not a standard.

According to the European QUASAR project, at least half of the modules replaced in a repowering are usually in reasonable condition for reuse. For partial repowering, QUASAR recommends replacing more modules than strictly needed and keeping the healthy ones as spares. Replacing diodes, junction boxes, cables and connectors are mature repairs (technology readiness level 9) done in the field. According to Suncycle, as cited by IEA-PVPS, junction box and diode repairs succeed in about 90% of recent modules and 75% of heavily aged ones.

Grid connection. The SEC authorizes modules by brand and model, based on new-product IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certificates (SEC Exempt Resolution 32,427/2020), and its technical instruction RGR No. 02/2024 prohibits installing modules with breaks or cracks. There is no authorization path for used or refurbished modules. Every module we reuse keeps its brand, model and nameplate; the installation declared to the SEC is defined by the licensed electrical installer. We recommend checking with the SEC before connecting used modules to the grid. Off-grid installations are not exempt either: instruction ITG RIC No. 9.1 sets the same requirement. Modules with broken glass are neither sold nor repaired.

Sources: QUASAR, D2.2 (2025) (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).

How we work: a seven-step protocol

1. Plant dataCapacity (MW), module brand and model, quantity, installation year, location and reason for removal, plus the monitoring history, thermography reports and insulation faults logged by the inverters.
2. Test planWith that data we decide whether an ISO 2859-1 sample is enough or module-by-module testing is needed, and we propose the preliminary routes for the batch. We reply within 48 business hours.
3. On-site testingThermography with the plant operating; then electroluminescence, I-V curve, insulation and wet leakage on the sample or on every module.
4. Grading and reportEach module or batch is assigned a route (A, B, C or D) with its measured power. The report arrives before dispatch, so the owner decides with data.
5. Dismantling, sorting and packagingThe owner or its contractor dismantles. We provide the instructions: pallets labeled by route, no stacking or crushing, modules covered with opaque material and glass fragments contained.
6. Pickup and transportWe coordinate pickup with licensed hazardous-waste transport. Undamaged panels going to reuse travel as regular freight. The owner issues the declaration document in SIDREP, Chile’s national hazardous-waste declaration and tracking system.
7. Destination and certificatesReuse, repair or recycling according to the route. Every batch closes with an intake, traceability and valorization certificate for EPR reporting under Law No. 20,920 and the targets of DS 22/2025.

On-site logistics: who does what

Testing comes before dispatch so that each module leaves the plant only once, sorted by route: what will be reused travels protected, and what will be recycled goes straight to its destination. Packaging and shipping documents are covered in collection and transport of batteries and panels.

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EPC is the project’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor; O&M, the operation and maintenance company. During dismantling we ask crews to follow these rules:

• Lift each module with two people, by the short side and never by the junction box.
• Do not step on modules or place other objects on them; store them somewhere dry and flat, protected from rain and sun.
• A module produces voltage under any light: cover it with opaque material before handling cables and connectors.
• Separate reusable modules from the rest, with colored film or labeled pallets, without stacking or crushing.
• Do not throw, over-stack or disassemble modules fit for reuse during collection, as the final proposal of DS 22/2025 requires.
• A module with broken glass is not cleaned or handled without protection, because of the risk of electric shock. Its fragments are contained with film (our own criterion).

Sources: JinkoSolar, storage instructions (2024) (opens in a new tab) · JinkoSolar, installation manual V11 (2026) (opens in a new tab) · QUASAR, D2.2 (2025) (opens in a new tab) · Chilean Ministry of the Environment, Exempt Resolution 3413/2025 (opens in a new tab).

Who buys the modules that are reused?

The secondary market grows with repowering. According to pv magazine, the Dutch platform Search4Solar gathered more than 150,000 used modules in 2025, most of them from repowering projects. According to IEA-PVPS, SOLARCYCLE powers its plant in Odessa (Texas) with a 500 kW system built from about 1,000 retired modules, which covers roughly half of its demand. In Brazil, 23-year-old polycrystalline modules kept 87–88% of their nameplate power, and 68% were fit for a second life.

The route A modules we sell come with their measured power, an electroluminescence image and an insulation test, plus a 1-year seller’s warranty. Each one keeps its brand, model and nameplate. More detail on used and refurbished solar panels and testing and reuse of decommissioned panels.

One point to check before tendering: according to the Ministry of Energy’s Circular Economy in Energy Roadmap, manufacturer warranties generally do not allow modules to be repaired or reused.

Sources: pv magazine, 2026-04-10 (opens in a new tab) · IEA-PVPS T13-37:2026 (opens in a new tab) · pv magazine, 2026-03-31 (opens in a new tab) · Chilean Ministry of Energy, Circular Economy in Energy Roadmap 2026–2030 (opens in a new tab).

Recycling with a certificate for DS 22/2025

What cannot be reused or repaired is recycled. By weight, a silicon module is 76% glass, 10% polymers (encapsulant and backsheet), 8% aluminum, 5% silicon and 1% copper, with less than 0.1% silver: 6 to 10 grams per panel.

In the industry, recycling starts by removing the aluminum frame, the junction box and the cables. The glass is then separated from the laminate by shredding, with a hot knife at 180–200 °C or by pyrolysis at 300–600 °C, and finally silver, copper and silicon are recovered, usually by chemical means.

For route D modules, we prepare the batch (dismantling and sorting) and manage its valorization with authorized receivers, in Chile or in OECD countries where applicable; EcoBaterías SpA closes the SIDREP declaration as the receiving facility and issues the valorization certificate. The certificate states the number of modules, the mass received and the destination of each fraction. Details are on solar panel recycling in Chile.

DS 22/2025, published on May 7, 2026, sets collection and recovery targets for photovoltaic modules, enforceable 24 months later (May 2028): 10% in the third year (2030) and 50% from the tenth (2037). It is the only target under Law No. 20,920 measured against the estimated waste of each year rather than against what was placed on the market. The decree also requires photovoltaic installations above 1 MW to report their panels in use and projected waste every year, before May 31, in the RETC, Chile’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. A repowering changes both figures, and the batch certificate is the evidence behind that report.

Sources: IRENA and IEA-PVPS, End-of-Life Management: Solar Photovoltaic Panels (2016) (opens in a new tab) · IEA-PVPS T12-31:2025 (opens in a new tab) · DS 22/2025, Diario Oficial, 2026-05-07 (opens in a new tab) · País Circular, 2026-09-09 (opens in a new tab).

Are removed modules hazardous waste?

By default, yes. According to the Chilean Ministry of Energy’s Circular Economy in Energy Roadmap 2026–2030, end-of-life or damaged panels are handled as hazardous waste unless they are declassified under Supreme Decree (DS) 148/2003, Chile’s health regulation on hazardous waste management. The classification depends on the tests for each model: IRENA reports leachate of up to 11 mg/L of lead from silicon modules, above the 5 mg/L limit in DS 148 (art. 14). CdTe modules contain cadmium and tellurium, which DS 148 lists as hazardous constituents; in Chile, Luz del Norte has more than 1.7 million of these modules across 141 MWac.

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In that chain, we coordinate licensed transport and an authorized destination for each route, and we hand over the documents. The declaration is filed by the owner as the waste generator, using the data we provide.

SEIA. The owner can ask Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) whether the repowering must enter the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) through a relevance consultation (consulta de pertinencia, DS 40, art. 26). The SEA’s relevance portal lists consultations from photovoltaic plants. The filing belongs to the owner; we provide the module count, their destination and the pickup traceability.

Sources: Chilean Ministry of Energy, Circular Economy in Energy Roadmap 2026–2030 (opens in a new tab) · DS 148/2003, Library of the National Congress of Chile (opens in a new tab) · IRENA and IEA-PVPS (2016) (opens in a new tab) · Business Wire, Luz del Norte (2015) (opens in a new tab) · DS 40, SEIA regulation (opens in a new tab) · SEA, relevance consultation portal (opens in a new tab).

Timeline: contract expiries and DS 22/2025 targets

PPA expiries line up with the DS 22/2025 targets: the first target, 10%, falls in 2030, the same year as the first large expiry.

Sources: Ecobaterías Solar Observatory, cut-off of 2026-09-11 · DS 22/2025, Diario Oficial, 2026-05-07 (opens in a new tab). These are power purchase agreement expiries, not closures announced by the owners.

In 2030 and from 2033 to 2035, the Observatory estimates 400,000 to 850,000 modules removed per year. It pays to set the destination of the modules in the repowering tender documents, before awarding the dismantling work: that way testing fits into the construction schedule instead of delaying it.

Price and lead times

Quoted per project. These are the variables that move the figure:

• Number of modules and condition: intact, faulty or broken.
• Type of testing: sampling or module by module.
• Distance between the plant and the destination of each route.
• Dismantling and packaging: who does them.
• Route mix: how many modules are reused, repaired or recycled.

Testing, pickup and certificate lead times are confirmed in the quote. The published price of 22 UF (Chile’s inflation-indexed unit of account) per tonne plus VAT (19%) applies to lithium-ion battery intake and does not apply to photovoltaic modules. To get a quote, use the repowering contact form with the MW, module model and count, year and location. We reply within 48 business hours. All our battery and panel services are listed under services.

Frequently asked questions

What does solar repowering mean?

Repowering a solar plant means increasing its nameplate capacity by replacing components with new equipment, mainly modules and inverters. In Chile it is called repotenciamiento. When components are replaced without substantially changing capacity, the term is revamping. In both cases, modules come out that can be tested and then reused, repaired or recycled.

What is the difference between repowering and revamping?

Repowering increases the plant’s nameplate capacity with new equipment. Revamping replaces components to restore performance, without substantially changing capacity or using new land. These are the definitions in the IEA-PVPS T13-37 report (2026). In both cases, modules come out that should be tested before deciding where they go.

What happens to the panels removed from a plant?

They are tested and sorted into four routes: reuse if they keep at least 80% of nameplate power; repair if the fault is in the junction box, diodes or connectors; off-grid use between 70% and 80%, subject to SEC requirements; and recycling below 70% or with broken glass. According to the European QUASAR project, at least half of the replaced modules are usually fit for reuse.

Are removed modules hazardous waste?

By default, yes. According to Chile’s Ministry of Energy, end-of-life or damaged panels are handled as hazardous waste unless they are declassified under Supreme Decree (DS) 148/2003. That requires licensed transport, a declaration in SIDREP, Chile’s hazardous-waste tracking system, and an authorized destination. The classification depends on the tests for each module model.

What does DS 22/2025 require?

It sets collection and recovery targets for photovoltaic modules, enforceable from May 2028: 10% in the third year (2030) and 50% from the tenth (2037), measured against the estimated waste of each year. In addition, installations above 1 MW must report their panels in use and projected waste every year, before May 31, in the RETC, Chile’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register.

Does a repowering project need an SEIA relevance consultation?

It depends on the project, and the answer comes from Chile’s Environmental Assessment Service (SEA). The owner can file a relevance consultation (DS 40, art. 26) so the SEA states whether the change must enter the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA); its portal lists consultations from photovoltaic plants. We provide the module count, their destination and the pickup traceability for that filing.

How much power do removed modules keep?

It depends on age and damage, and only testing confirms it. Polycrystalline modules aged 23 years kept 87–88% of nameplate power in a trial in Brazil. In Australia, 58% of 3,749 decommissioned modules were still fit for reuse, with about 12 years of remaining service life. NREL reports a median degradation of 0.5% per year.

What is recovered when a panel is recycled?

By weight, a silicon module is 76% glass, 10% polymers, 8% aluminum, 5% silicon and 1% copper, with less than 0.1% silver (IRENA, 2016). Recycling first removes the aluminum frame, the junction box and the cables, then separates the glass from the laminate, which holds the silicon and the metals. Every batch closes with a valorization certificate.

More answers in our FAQ on lithium batteries and solar panels.

Sources

Updated September 26, 2026 · Reviewed by the Ecobaterías technical team