CPSC SOLAR PANEL STEWARDSHIP
Solar panel installation is increasing nationwide, with California playing an essential role in the country's net zero emissions goals. The California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) is leading several solar panel recovery projects and policy developments in California that expand circular solar energy systems with reduced cost-burden on local governments and rate payers through producer engagement. Within California and across the country, there is an absence of recycling and reuse management standards for solar panels, leading owners, and installers, with little guidance on safe management. CPSC is working with local and state governments to employ proper standards and guide management to prioritize reuse.
SOLAR PANEL OVERVIEW
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is the oversight agency for solar panels entering the market. The Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) have solar photovoltaic (PV) system and solar-ready requirements for all new homes built in California.
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The CEC maintains a list of state-approved solar panel models, which includes critical information such as manufacturer, model number, and safety certifications. The list is designed so anyone can look up a panel and find information not readily available on the panel label. The list makes it easier for solar panels to be reused, reducing waste overall by providing critical information for safe re-installation, such as active fire safety certification(s).
REUSE & COLLECTION
Despite their serious potential to lead the charge for durable green energy, solar panels have a limited life span. Due to a current lack of understanding regarding recycling and reuse management standards, owners and installers don't have clear information on how to properly dispose of unwanted solar panels.
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Reuse is preferred over recycling for working panels as it promotes equity. Promoting the reuse of solar panels allows people to purchase solar panels at lower cost, ensuring greater access to green energy, and serving as a form of source reduction. For solar panels to be reused, they must have active safety certifications, verified on CEC's solar equipment list.
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One example of solar panel reuse is to connect a used solar panel to a portable power station to create your own new reused solar backup system. For a step-by-step guide, please read the full case study funded by CPSC, Zero Waste Marin, Reuse Alliance, and the Department of Energy Re-X Prize.
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When solar panels are no longer working or ineligible for reuse, they become regulated by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). DTSC regulates unwanted solar panels under the Universal Waste regulations, similar to electronic waste. Solar panels destined for recycling or disposal need to go through authorized handlers.
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DTSC has classified organizations allowed to handle solar panels separate from the organizations allowed to recycle or treat them. Handlers are authorized only to transport solar panels. The list of DTSC-approved handlers includes organizations for distribution, warehouses, and reuse outlets. To recycle solar panels, handlers must apply for additional certification and follow specific regulations from DTSC for treatment. For a list of California universal waste recyclers that treat solar panels, please visit DTSC’s List of Recyclers that Treat [Solar Panel] Modules webpage.
CPSC'S SOLAR REUSE RESOURCE MAP
In 2024, CPSC created the solar reuse resource map by interviewing local solar reuse champions in California and beyond. Reuse champions include reuse, repair, resellers, thrift stores, and installers. CPSC is constantly updating this map as new organizations, interested in helping create a circular economy are found. This chart is the culmination of many months of hard work, and dedication to EPR and sustainability.
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Click the survey button below if you would like to be added to the solar reuse map and/or participate in any active and upcoming projects. For more information, email: info@calpsc.org.
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Click on the expand icon, then click on the search icon, type in your address, and press enter. You can also search by business name or type. For instance, enter "reuse" and all related businesses come up.
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We provide this map as a public service. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this site or utilize this site for other than its intended purposes are prohibited. We make no claim or guarantee about the accuracy or currency of the maps, and expressly disclaim liability for errors and omissions. Please CALL each business before visiting. To report inaccurate map information, please contact info@calpsc.org.
CPSC LED SOLAR PANEL PILOT PROJECTS
Below is a collection of short videos detailing CPSC’s recent solar panel pilot projects. Watch to learn more about CPSC's role in solar panel regulations, the active pilot projects in Butte County and the City of Santa Monica, CPSC's partnership with CalRecycle, and how you can help push solar panel recovery systems in California.
CURRENT SOLAR PANEL PROJECTS IN CALIFORNIA
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, partnering with CPSC, are piloting a solar panel reuse and recycling program within Santa Barbara County.
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CPSC is conducting interviews with Santa Barbara's solar installers to better understand their needs to develop the most efficient, useful program. If you are a solar panel installer and would like to provide us with your feedback, please fill out the survey here.
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Collection of unwanted solar panels will be launching Summer 2025.
Solano County, the Solano Resource Conservation District, the Dixon Resource Conservation District, and the Solano County Farm Bureau are working with CPSC to survey the regional agricultural community on utilizing recycled solar panels and/or disposing of any, obtaining technical support to repurpose Ag byproducts, and minimizing irrigation loss with smart timers.
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If you would like to provide us with your feedback on these topics, please fill out the survey here.
Zero Waste Marin and CPSC are establishing a baseline for solar panel collection and processing in Marin County that prioritizes reuse and prevents the improper disposal of panels.
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The pilot is collecting solar panels for FREE in Marin County. Fill out the form here to request panel pick-up. If you would like to obtain FREE panels for reuse purposes, fill out the form here. We are offering funding, up to $1,500 for four projects, to support the installation of these free solar panels. Projects will be selected by May 31st, please submit your project idea(s) today!
OTHER SOLAR PANEL PROJECTS IN CALIFORNIA
The Department of Energy selected CPSC for the Re-X Before Recycling Prize which recognizes innovation in extending a product's life through reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, or repurposing before recycling. The project established the first Solar Panel Repair Training and the reuse map on this website. As a result, GHG modeling and analyses were added to the local government pilots.
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Learn more about Re-X Before Recycling here: Re-X Before Recycling Prize | HeroX
StopWaste, in Alameda County, was one of the first local governments to pilot solar panel reuse, starting with research and case studies to gauge the emerging field of solar panel reuse and recycling in the County. This most recent phase of their solar panel reuse and recycling pilot will include collection of unwanted solar panels with support for reuse, repair, and recycling processes.
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Learn more about StopWaste here: StopWaste.org/about-stopwaste
Zero Waste Sonoma's Solar Panel Pilot Project, in partnership with CalRecycle and the Conservation Corps North Bay, resulted in several free solar panel collection events held within Sonoma County for residents.
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Learn more about the project here: ZeroWasteSonoma.gov/materials/solar-panels
THE FUTURE OF SOLAR PANEL RECYCLING
CPSC is thrilled to be on the cutting-edge of solar panel reuse and recycling, working on legislation as the conversation shifts across the country. Many states, including California, have changed the classification of solar panels from hazardous waste to universal waste. The classification change makes solar panel disposal and recycling easier and less expensive. For a list of states that classify solar panels as universal waste, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State Universal Waste Programs webpage.
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While California is working to ensure solar panels are recycled properly through waste reclassification, other states have passed additional legislation. In 2017, Washington passed Senate Bill 5939, which promoted sustainable, local renewable energy by modifying tax incentives. The bill created a Photovoltaic Module Stewardship and Takeback Program, which required manufacturers of solar panels to provide a convenient and environmentally conscious way to recycle panels purchased after July 1st, 2017.
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One of the best ways to work towards a more sustainable future is to strive for extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation. EPR holds producers accountable for their products’ environmental impact from creation to disposal. It promotes the development of greener products with lower environmental impacts and helps allocate funds to finance proper collection, treatment, recycling, and disposal systems for problematic products. Our legislation webpage lists some of the ways we strive to make this goal a reality.
SOLAR PANEL PRESS AND MEDIA
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​Report on CPSC's Inaugural Solar Reuse Training in Marin - CPSC, 10/23/24
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We Recycle Solar Leads Efforts to Repurpose Discarded Solar Panels - AZCentral, 9/24/24
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Renewal Projects Receive $50,000 in DOE Competition - Resource Recycling, 6/25/24
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French agency warns against unchecked reuse of secondhand solar modules – PV Magazine France, 6/6/24
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Beyond recycling: reducing waste from solar modules before they're even made - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 3/5/24
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Solar Panel Recycling gets off the ground in Sonoma County - Northern California Public Media, 7/13/23
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Challenge to stop solar panels become a 'waste mountain' - BBC News, 6/4/23
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New push to create solar panel recycling program in California - CBS News Bay Area, 3/8/23
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California went big on rooftop solar. It created an environmental danger in the process - LA Times, 7/14/22
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Solar Panel Recycling: Discovering a Circular Economy in Solar Panels - CPSC, 7/11/22
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Solar Panel Recycling Pilot Wraps Up in City of Santa Monica, CA - Waste Advantage Magazine, 4/22/22
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Piloting Solar Panel Recycling and Reusable Marine Flares in California - HHWIE Conference, 1/19/22
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Solar Panel Recycling Research from the Counties of Butte and San Mateo and the City of Santa Monica - IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference, 6/18/20
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California Pushes for Solar Panel Waste Policy- Waste360, 3/31/20
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Panels Be Gone- Chico News and Review, 6/13/19
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Protecting Butte County Together- Chico News and Review, 5/23/19