Despite the clear monetary advantages of refurbishment, thousands of fully refurbishable solar panels are recycled or landfilled every year.
The financial benefits of refurbishment should be obvious, so why are so many salvageable solar modules destroyed?
If you’ve got the choice to refurbish or destroy, it’s a no brainer to lean towards the refurbishment route.
The main reason so many owners decide to forego the refurbishment process is that they incorrectly assume that old or damaged panels are beyond repair.
When are My Solar Modules Refurbishable?
There are a multitude of reasons why you may be dissatisfied with your panels.
These reasons can include lack of efficiency due to age, bad diodes, bent frames, repowering, or weather damage.
It’s also not uncommon for a certain percentage of otherwise new panels to simply not work properly.
FabTech specializes in restoring and refurbishing panels suffering from any of the above causes.
In 2019 alone, FabTech refurbished over 200,000 solar panels, boasting a staggering 95% salvage rate.
In 2019, we paid out more than two million dollars to manufacturers or solar utility site owners.
Refurbishable Panels and DIY Solar Customers
Solar panels that are cleared for refurbishment are separated from those that go on to be recycled.
These refurbishable panels are cleaned, repaired, tested to check efficiency, and sold – providing a second life for these panels.
An ever-growing number of do-it-yourself (DIY) solar amateurs have a high demand for cheap panels, regardless of efficiency.
Because the solar modules we process reenter the market as used/refurbished, we’re motivated to save as many panels as we can, which means you’ll be paid for the highest number of solar units possible.
FabTech is also involved in giving back and donating to nonprofits.
These charitable projects include donations to organizations that provide solar installations in 3rd world countries.
FabTech also donates free solar panels to be installed onto mobile homes for Americans who have fallen on hard times.
Our Refurbishment Process
Our highly trained technicians inspect each individual solar module, checking frames, diodes, and glass amongst other important components in their assessment of a given solar panel’s refurbishment potential.
As stated above, almost every solar panel that doesn’t have cracked glass is refurbishable to some degree.
After the refurbishable solar panels are separated, we recycle the remaining non-refurbishable units, then the customer pays the difference.
Our technicians then go to work fixing electrical connections, correcting bent frames, and replacing faulty diodes.
When the technicians have repaired the solar panels, they are then given a thorough cleaning and final inspection.
If a solar module passes final inspection, it’s given a rating based on operating performance and then passed on to the secondhand market.
Conclusion
Thousands of fully refurbishable solar panels are recycled or landfilled every year.
FabTech’s best-in-class technicians will assess your solar panels, recycle the broken units, and then pay you for each of the refurbishable modules.
FabTech has a 100% Landfill-free policy.
This eco-friendly policy ensures that materials from recycled solar panels are reused in the manufacturing of new products.
Due to ever-improving refurbishment techniques, more and more solar panels are repairable and valuable to a secondhand market.
