How long do solar panels last and can you recycle them?

Independent

19-06-2025

If you are doing research on buying solar panels for your home, you will want to know how long they will last.
Then you can work out how long you will get free electricity after they've paid for themselves.
The good news is that they last a long time, typically around 30 years, according to UK fitter Glow Green.
Panels typically come with a warranty of 25 years, meaning that you should expect at least this amount of use from them, assuming you follow the conditions of the warranty.
What does the warranty for solar panels cover?
The warranty for solar panels typically covers you against any manufacturing defects and major drops in performance.
The first is rather obvious – if the panels stop working properly because of faults in the manufacturing, the panels will be fixed or replaced free of charge.
The second part requires a bit of explaining. Solar panels degrade, albeit slowly, over the course of their lives.
Even after 30 years the best solar panels will still push out 90 per cent of the power they generated when new.
If their output is below this, you may get a repair or replacement.
In short, most panels should still be generating 90 per cent of their advertised output after 30 years.
How do I know if my solar panels have stopped working?
A noticeable drop in output is your best clue that all is not well, and you will see that in higher bills and lower payments for the power you sell to the grid. It is unlikely that power output will drop to zero because of faulty panels unless something has fallen on them. If your output collapses, your inverter or another key part of the system may be at fault.
What should I do with my solar panels after 30 years?
Probably nothing. You are likely to still get a decent amount of power from them and, so long as they are safely secured to your roof, they don't need to be touched.
That being said, the rate of improvement in solar panels is high, and after 30 years of development, you might find that far more power can be delivered for the same roof space and it may be cost-effective to scrap them and replace them with new models.
Or, power could be a lot cheaper to buy from the grid and new panels might make little sense. It is hard to peer that far into the future, other than knowing that you will still need electric power.
Either way, you will have had 30 years of use from them, if not longer. Solar panel efficiency has seen a dramatic rise since the technology's inception, improving from about 6% in the 1950s to over 22% for the best commercial panels in 2025, with laboratory cells exceeding 47% efficiency. This tenfold increase in efficiency has been a key driver in making solar energy a mainstream, cost-effective renewable power source.
Can you recycle solar panels?
Yes. Solar panels are covered under the EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE regulations), even since Brexit. WEEE regulations mandate the recycling of certain types of electronic goods in the UK at the end of their life. Much of a solar panel is glass and aluminium, which are readily recyclable. The silicon, plastic and other metals can also largely be recycled.
In fact, the IEA reports that 80–95% of a solar panel's materials can be recovered and reused. However, recycled solar panels in the UK are unlikely to be turned into new panels because solar panels aren't currently manufactured here. Most are made in China.
But the components can be made into other things like glass for cars.
Should I insure my panels?
Yes. The warranty covers you if the solar panels are defective or don't deliver the power output you have been promised, but if a tree falls on them the manufacturer will not cover their replacement.
Most home insurance policies now cover solar panels, so make sure to check that yours does too, and to tell your home insurer that you have them.