What Should You Do with Old Solar Panels?

Stakeholders were looking for answers to the problem of malfunctioning solar panels. They also required assistance in removing obsolete modules from solar power plants but were afraid that the equipment might end up in landfills although the technology was still functional.

There has to be a practical way to repair damaged panels as well as resell secondhand panels in good shape that had been deactivated. Laid Sahraoui thought that this niche industry was worth further investigation, and the notion for R3 Tech Limited was created.

Laid Sahraoui began his solar career in 2008, collaborating transnationally across Europe and China. He was regularly exposed to the industry scene and quickly learned about the supply chain, procurement of components and equipment, marketing, and supply.

Laid, on the other hand, has always regarded himself to be a businessman at heart. He fantasized about the day when he’d be able to incorporate his own company. He found his groove in defective solar panels and used resold modules. He discovered these were industry-wide difficulties after discussing them with distributors, developers, and customers.

When Laid was planning to begin his company, he wanted to learn more about why solar panels break down before the 25-year mark. He traveled around China examining solar farms and gathering data on faulty panels.

At the time, the typical failure rate was 4-6 percent. Based on his research, Laid calculates that 18 million of the 600 million panels placed in solar farms over the relevant period had substandard back sheets.

The enormous number of malfunctioning modules prompted Laid to believe that there was a business idea. In 2018, he established R3 Tech to be the leading global provider of reconditioned and repair solutions.

In a perfect world, R3 Tech would handle deactivating panels, separating them for resale or disposal, and transporting them to their final destinations. The resale modules would be delivered to one of R3 Tech’s facilities, hoovered and tested, and then repackaged.

R3 Tech has since grown to become a full-service turnkey provider of residential, industrial, and utility-scale operations. They still provide repair services, but it is no longer their core business.