Removing, recycling and disposing of solar panels in Melbourne

Removing and reinstalling solar panels for a re-roof

A new roof, a roof repair or an extension under the array means the panels come off first. They are taken down, stored and put back on the finished roof, usually on the same rails and with the same inverter, which stays on its wall. Disconnecting and reconnecting the array is electrical work: Energy Safe Victoria lists solar PV arrays and battery energy storage systems as prescribed electrical installation work, which must be inspected by an independent Licensed Electrical Inspector. Altering a system still needs a new Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES).

1. Shut down and isolate. A licensed electrician shuts the system down in the right order and isolates the inverter and any battery.
2. Take the array down. The cables are disconnected and labelled, then the panels, rails and roof mounts come off.
3. Store the panels safely. The current panels on our solar panels page weigh 22 to 25 kg each. They are stored where they won’t be knocked, stood on or left in water, packed the way the panel maker’s manual allows.
4. The roofer does the roof. Once it is finished, the roof mounts are fitted to suit the new tiles or sheets.
5. Reinstall and reconnect. Rails and panels go back up, the cabling is reconnected and checked, and the system is tested before it is switched on.
6. Inspection and certificate. As prescribed work, it is inspected, and the electrician must give you a copy of the COES within 4 days of completing the certificate.

Plan it with your roofer

• Book both ends of the job. The electrician comes before the roofer starts and again when the roof is finished. The system makes no power in between.
• Agree who stores the panels, and who is responsible if one is damaged while it is off the roof.
• Ask for photos of the panels and their labels before they come down, so you can check they all go back.
• Use the visit. With the array off the roof, it is a good time for the service Solar Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria advise at least every 2 years.

What a solar service checks

Victoria’s e-waste landfill ban: panels, inverters and batteries

Since 2019 it has been illegal to put e-waste in household rubbish or landfill in Victoria. The Victorian Government defines e-waste as any item that has a plug, battery or power cord, and EPA Victoria is blunt: “Landfills in Victoria are not able to receive e-waste.” That covers the panels, the inverter and any battery, so they don’t belong in a renovation skip bound for landfill either.

If an installer takes your panels away

Solar Victoria says an installer with panels removed from a home must ensure the waste is taken to a place authorised to receive that type of waste, and that failing to is an indictable offence with substantial penalties under Victorian law. Ask where your panels will go, and get the recycler’s name in writing.

Where are solar panels recycled in Victoria?

Solar panels can be recycled. Solar Victoria says specialist solar PV recyclers can recover up to 90% of a solar panel for reuse, and names these Victorian recyclers that reprocess panels:

Solar Victoria tells installers to contact these recyclers or their local council for the nearest collection point. For households, EPA Victoria’s advice is: “Take your household e-waste to a household e-waste drop off location.” Call ahead wherever you go: ask whether they take panels from households, how many, and what they charge.

Solar Victoria’s rules for Solar Homes retailers also recommend end-of-life management certified to AS 5377, the Australian standard for the management of electrical and electronic equipment for re-use or recycling. Ask a recycler whether it holds that certification.

Solar’s environmental impact

How do you dispose of an old solar battery?

A home battery is e-waste at the end of its life, and its lithium-ion cells are what make it risky. EPA Victoria warns: “Lithium Ion batteries can cause fires if disposed of incorrectly.” Batteries must never go in household waste bins, bins destined for landfill or recycling services not specifically marked for e-waste or battery recycling.

• Not a B-cycle box. B-cycle, backed by the Battery Stewardship Council, takes small, loose and easily removable batteries. Its drop-off points don’t accept batteries from vapes, solar panels, home energy storage systems or caravans, and it sends people with those to your local council or transfer station.
• A licensed electrician disconnects it. Energy Safe Victoria lists battery energy storage systems as prescribed electrical work. Don’t unplug, move or open a home battery yourself.
• Replacing it? Ask whoever installs the new battery who removes the old one and which recycler takes it.

How long home batteries last

Replace or reinstall? When new panels make more sense

A re-roof is the one time the whole array is off anyway, so it is worth asking whether the old panels should go back up. Panels age slowly: the current ranges on our solar panels page carry performance warranties of 25 to 30 years. An older system, though, may be small by today’s standards, with fewer, lower-wattage panels.

• Reinstall when the panels and inverter work well and the system still covers your daytime use.
• Replace when panels are damaged, the inverter is failing, or you want a bigger system or a battery-ready hybrid inverter. A new system can attract the federal STC discount.

Victoria’s premium feed-in tariff ended on 1 November 2024, so replacing or enlarging a system no longer risks losing it. If you replace it through Solar Victoria’s Solar Homes Program, the retailer must make sure the old equipment is removed from your home: see solar rebates in Victoria.

How long solar panels last

Upgrading an older system

How much does solar panel removal cost?

What moves the price of removing solar panels:

• The number of panels and how they are laid out across the roof.
• Height, pitch and access: a second storey or a steep roof takes longer and may need safety rails.
• The roof: tiles, metal sheets or a flat roof, and whether the new roof needs new mounts.
• Back up or away: reinstalling, or removal plus a recycler’s fee.
• Storage: how long the panels are off the roof while the roofer works.
• What turns up: worn cables, isolators or damaged panels found once the array is off.

Do we remove and recycle solar panels?

What to ask whoever removes your panels

• Who does the electrical work? For solar servicing, Solar Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria advise a licensed A-Grade electrician, preferably accredited by Solar Accreditation Australia. Expect the same for removal, and ask to see the licence.
• Is the price fixed? Both trips, storage, the inspection and any recycling fee, in writing.
• Will I get a COES? Yes: Energy Safe Victoria says a registered contractor or licensed electrical worker cannot refuse to issue a COES for any reason.
• Where do removed panels go? The name of the recycler or collection point.

Solar panel removal and disposal: your questions