Solar Panel Removal and Recycling in New Jersey: Everything You Need to Know
Written By:
Chris Regan
Founder
CLR Solutions LLC
Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of clean power, but like any technology, it has a lifespan. Panels typically last 25–30 years, though many are replaced sooner for upgrades to higher wattage density models or due to property renovations, roof work, or relocation. Even after two decades, a panel can still produce roughly 80% of its original rated power—meaning they often retain real value at the time of removal.
The challenge? When it’s time to remove or replace panels, improper handling can waste valuable resources, create environmental hazards, and forgo potential investment recovery. That’s where professional solar removal services like CLR Solutions come in.
Why Solar Panel Removal and Recycling Matters
Environmental stakes
Solar panels are built from tempered glass, aluminum frames, silicon cells, polymers, and sometimes small amounts of lead or other metals. Left in a landfill, damaged panels can leach harmful substances into soil and water. Recycling prevents this contamination and recovers materials that would otherwise need to be mined or manufactured from scratch.
Conserving resources
Recycling a single panel can recover high-purity glass, aluminum, copper, and sometimes silver—materials that are energy-intensive to produce. By reusing these components, the environmental footprint of future manufacturing is reduced and the circular economy gets stronger.
Reducing e-waste
Solar panels are part of the global e-waste stream, which reached 62 million tons in 2022. Adding proper panel recycling into the e-waste system ensures these large, resource-rich items are not lost to landfills.
The Circular Economy Connection
When solar panels are removed, many still have functional parts—glass, aluminum, wiring, and sometimes the entire panel itself. In a linear economy, those materials would be discarded, forcing manufacturers to extract new raw resources. But in a circular economy, panels and their components are kept in circulation as long as possible—through resale, repurposing, or material recovery.
For example:
- Resale – Panels in working condition can be installed in smaller residential or off-grid projects.
- Repurposing – Even slightly degraded panels can be useful for agricultural water pumping, emergency power kits, or educational labs.
- Material recovery – Recycling separates metals, glass, and silicon for use in new manufacturing.
Every panel reused or recycled means fewer emissions from mining, less strain on ecosystems, and less waste in our landfills.
What Happens if Panels Aren’t Recycled?
When solar panels are left in storage, dumped, or improperly processed:
- Toxic risk – Older panels may contain trace lead or cadmium, which can leach into soil and water.
- Fire hazard – Damaged lithium batteries from solar systems can ignite during transport or in landfills.
- Economic loss – Aluminum, copper, and silver are lost forever instead of feeding back into production.
- Missed resale opportunities – Working panels could have generated income for the owner.
Globally, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that by 2050, unrecycled solar waste could exceed 78 million tons. That’s the equivalent of millions of cars’ worth of material needlessly discarded.
How CLR Solutions Handles Solar Panel Removal and Recycling
Step 1 – Lot creation & labeling
Before receiving any equipment, CLR generates a lot for the incoming batch. This defines any required services (such as data destruction for smart inverters) and ensures tracking from start to finish. Each pallet or bin receives a label tied to the lot, allowing secure storage until processing.
Step 2 – Sorting by commodity
Panels, inverters, and batteries are visually inspected and sorted into commodity categories—desktop computers, monitors, lithium-ion batteries, UPS units, and in this case, solar-specific equipment. No dismantling is performed in-house for panels; instead, non-working items are palletized by type and sent to vetted downstream partners.
Step 3 – Resale evaluation & investment recovery
Functional or repairable panels and inverters are tested where practical—checking voltage and amperage for panels, or verifying if inverters and batteries are new or in working order. CLR offers consignment sales, meaning they sell the equipment on your behalf and split the profits, helping you recover part of your original investment.
Step 4 – Responsible downstream recycling
Bad panels (cracked glass, severe rear damage, burn marks, corrosion, cut wires too close to the junction box, or poor voltage output) are shipped to certified downstream partners. While CLR doesn’t dismantle panels themselves, they ensure materials are handled for recycling, not disposal.
Step 5 – Certificates & reporting
For clients who request it, CLR provides a certificate of recycling and, if applicable, data destruction certificates for devices with onboard storage.
Why People Delay Panel Removal — and Why That’s a Problem
Some homeowners and businesses delay panel removal because:
- They’re unsure if old panels have any value.
- They assume disposal is simple and can be handled like regular trash.
- They don’t know who to contact for safe removal.
But waiting too long can lead to:
- Weather damage that lowers resale value.
- Additional storage and handling costs.
- Missed opportunities to reuse functional equipment in other projects.
The Environmental Benefits of Proper Solar Panel Recycling
By reusing functional panels or recycling their materials, we avoid the environmental cost of producing new glass, metals, and silicon. For example, aluminum recycling saves up to 95% of the energy required to produce new aluminum from bauxite ore. Similarly, recovering glass from panels means less sand extraction, which is becoming an increasingly stressed resource globally.
And it’s not just about saving materials—it’s about keeping production local and reducing dependency on high-impact mining operations in sensitive areas like the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Arctic Russia.
What Makes CLR’s Service Different
- Full traceability – Lots and labeling ensure no panel is lost or mishandled.
- Investment recovery – Consignment sales mean your old panels can still generate value.
- Vetted recycling partners – Equipment is shipped to certified downstream handlers (R2 for batteries, specialized partners for panels and inverters).
- Scalable processing – Sorting is fast—an entire pallet of panels can be evaluated in about an hour.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Solar Panel Recycling
Within the next decade, the first generation of large-scale solar farms will be fully decommissioned. That means millions of panels will need to be processed every year. Experts predict that by 2030, the global value of recovered solar materials could exceed $450 million annually—enough to produce millions of new panels without mining a single ton of raw material.
New recycling technologies are also emerging that can recover higher purity silicon, enabling it to be reused directly in manufacturing new photovoltaic cells.
Ready to Remove or Recycle Your Solar Panels?
Whether you’re upgrading, moving, or decommissioning your solar array, CLR Solutions can make the process smooth, environmentally responsible, and potentially profitable.
📞 877-688-1834
📧 info@clrsolutionsnj.com
Get a free consultation today!
References
- International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). End-of-Life Management: Solar Photovoltaic Panels. 2016. https://www.irena.org/publications/2016/Jun/End-of-life-management-Solar-Photovoltaic-Panels
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. Photovoltaics Report. 2023. https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/publications/studies/photovoltaics-report.html
- United Nations University, ITU, ISWA. The Global E-Waste Monitor 2024. https://ewastemonitor.info
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Recycling Aluminum. https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-materials-aluminum
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Solar Photovoltaic Recycling: Could Solar PV Become the Next Big E-Waste Challenge? https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2021/solar-pv-recycling.html