Is Buying USED Solar Panels a Good Idea?

Having had my old panels for 9 years, I knew solar panels are built to last. So I decided to take a shot and buy some used solar panels, and on today's episode we check out if it turned out to be a good idea! There are definitely some risks and considerations, and pros and cons.

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[Amuzic_Earth]

Kudos to you for going for Used panels. I have often seen in people that in their quest to greenify things, they often forget the "Reuse, Reduce, Recycle" part and actually end up buying a lots of stuff....which is nothing but consumerism and the worse part - it feels guilt free. Thank you for bringing a frugal and hence more sustainable approach in highlight.

[arthurmuriph]

I bought 65 used panels for my diy install. Several panels had low output like yours but a few new bypass diodes fixed the issue. Paid 55.00 each for the panels 40 each for used enphase micros and made my own racking. I make about 80 to 100 kWh a day enough for the house and 2 Chevy electric cars here in Orlando.☺

[richardnwilson]

To test the panel's you can test the open circuit voltage and also the short circuit amperage very easily with a multi tester.

[sidn]

Any efforts in reducing pollution should be appreciated, .... 👏🏼👏🏼 thanks for enlightening people by showing renewable energy and most of your viewer do believe renewable energy affordability and slowly but steadily they are shifting towards it..

[gergc]

I think you made a good call. In 10 years the panels you'll buy used will be double the output for the same price.

[paulvanlit]

Same experience here, so I recommend it as well.
I did however measure V and I against spec in full sunlight before buying them.
I installed 5xPV 275Wp second hand ~5-6 yrs old); for 55€ each; bought an inverter (Growatt 1.5kW) for 310€ + 100€ roof-rack;
It actually replaces my shed's roof with just solar panels so I saved on roofing altogether (~300€).
I took large panels 200cmx100cm (80"x40") so it was easy to get the roof watertight, and installed the PV's myself).
Works fine, I expect about 800-1000 kWh per year, which adds 10%-12% to my 8000kWh/yr main PV set (Solaredge).
I just wanted to test and maybe in the future test some battery extension to it.

[Tazmanx]

New panels with the 25-30 year warranty helps a lot

[Mrsun-wq]

That's a question I ask myself many times after buying new . Thank you for making this vid .

[matej.m.rejsek]

Thanks for helping me establish a baseline concerning how the used panels I purchase by will probably look visually.

[MrKillswitch]

Noticed while looking around at panels online that some commercial panels get dumped onto the market is due to damage as there were some sellers trying to pawn off hail damaged panels on eBay.

[bobcole]

Will Prowse did a video on used panels. Great value, saves them from landfill.

[BenjaminGatzke]

What constitutes ‘commercial’ panel? Certain manufacturers? A commercial designation? Size or cell composition? I.E. what should we look for and perhaps, where should we look?

[penitent]

you also need to factor in the panel's remaining lifespan. They usually have about 25 years life and they degrade in power generation of about 0.8% per year. Yours can still be good for another 15 years (I don't know if commercial use shorten their life more or not) then you could expect them to breaking and really down on power as they get worn at end of their life. After that you need to have them removed and new ones installed, which as you said is a third of the cost, assuming the inverters need to be replaced after 15 years anyway or if it lasts can keep using with new panels.

[postalcollective]

Good insights. I have just replaced my existing 10yr old system with a current version of the same capacity (because I have a contract with the energy provider in AUST, that gives me an awesome feed in tariff of 0.55c/kwh). The newer system is far more efficient and output is nearly 70% more than the old so will pay for itself in 18months. Now my old panels and inverter I'd love to use but the roof is the only area in my property that doesnt suffer lots of shade. I'd really like to re-use the old system, just havent yet figured out how.

[zalllon]

Just saw on Kijiji, some used Panasonic panels, approximately seven years old according to the seller that has pallets of them. They are rated as new at 250 W, and Panasonic notes on these type of panels that after 25 years they should be add about 92% of the original noted energy production. These are selling for $90 Canadian all in per panel, and I can pick them up in my forerunner about 25 minutes away from where I live. Even if they only produce 180 W, there is still tremendous value over buying new. The only issue is the way shadows fall on my shed roof, so I’ll have to look into micro inverters.

[MorganMadej]

I was thinking only the other day that I have not seen any announcements about your channel lately? I have really enjoyed your in depth videos about Tesla. Now, for me, Solar panels are more interesting and achievable because of this video! I'm sure you have many followers like me who have been stimulated to think about Solar? We don't own an EV here in Poland, but we have a hot water heating Solar system that achieves 53C plus from the 20 tubes on our roof. The medium is water and anti-freeze in a closed loop via a pump to our 250 litre storage tank on the ground floor. There is only a 3C degree loss between the panel and tank! Solar for 6 months and gas c/h over winter. Apart from the capital investment of 12, 000 PLN ($3, 000 + in 2016) Since then our hot water is virtually free!

[dinosanchez]

Thanks, definitely going with used panels

[jackcoats]

I've been thinking of getting some used panels. I don't have a solar system now, but really want to go ground mount due to our roof situation. Still, interesting results. Thanks for the info.

[michaelbradley]

Check both the open circuit voltage (Voc) and unloaded "short circuit" amperage with a cheap test meter before installation. There are solar "beginners guides" on Youtube showing how to do this, and my $20 ADC multimeter goes to 10ADC (good for 100W panels, which usually have an Amp rating around 5A). (5Ax20V = 100W). Normally consumer products can be returned within 30 days if you get a DOA defective panel, even if they claim "not guaranteed." Depending on where you buy them. Amazon and eBay ALWAYS have 30 day guarantees even for items listed as used. Some eBay sellers then list electronics as "for parts only" to avoid all DOA gurantees (don't buy those).

[martingorbush]

I suppose that thanks to micro DC/AC converters you can tell how much power is generated by each pannel. Nice.