While the energy that solar panels generate is sustainable, the way we dispose of panels once they lose their generating capacity is not. Of the millions of solar panels in the U.S., about 90% will end up in landfills. Utilities and other asset owners need to think about solar panel decommissioning now, well before hundreds of thousands of panels come up for decommissioning.

Repowering and planned decommissioning extend the ROI created by solar panels that have reached the end of their most productive generating capacity. Solar modules contain materials that could be worth up to $50 billion by 2050. Recycling those materials prevents new mining, and repowering existing solar installations helps utilities get more value from their existing solar footprint. This playbook explores:

• The benefits of solar panel repower and reuse 
• How solar panels can be repurposed in secondary markets
• The importance of early planning for decommissioning

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