Pricing and technology trends for U.S. solar panel resale market

A strong market exists for wholesale secondary market solar modules, said a report from EnergyBin.

EnergyBin, an exchange platform for secondary market solar panels in the United States, released its annual pricing and trends report.

The company facilitates direct trading between buyers and sellers of solar panels that have fallen out of traditional distribution channels. This includes selling equipment that has been used or is near end-of-life and can be refurbished or recycled. It also connects traders of new solar equipment that was not purchased via traditional distribution channels due to oversupply or other market conditions.

In 2024, 95% of the modules available for resale on its platform, or about 1.7 million modules, are new.

The modules became available due to “excess stock that flowed from surplus and clearance closeouts, remarketing efforts, delayed, downsized, or cancelled projects, asset liquidations, and leftovers from project installations,” the company said in a release.

EnergyBin said its data helps to “shed light on the importance of a robust and sustainable secondary solar market to minimize waste and maximize asset recovery.”

The price-per-watt of various technology types throughout 2024 can be seen in the chart below.

“What’s clear from this report is that a secondary market is absolutely critical to remarket PV hardware when unexpected events occur,” says Renee Kuehl, chief operating officer of EnergyBin. “Solar companies need a resale channel to redirect modules when projects fall through or liquidations are necessary.”

EnergyBin said the price index shows that new PV modules tend to retain resale value in the U.S. secondary market, except with older module formats like Legacy Poly.

“Within the past four years of presenting this report, we’ve observed price fluctuations due to several factors,” said Kuehl. “Low-end prices in the U.S. secondary market are often a result of an urgent need to liquidate stock whereas high-end prices may be more affected by demand.”

The breakdown of secondary market availability by technology type on the platform can be seen below.