MAINTENANCE RESALE AND RECYCLING OF SOLAR SYSTEM

REGULAR MAINTENANCE:

There is very little maintenance required on a PV system with no moving parts. Some system owners wash their panels, but in the Northwest, our climate tends to take care of this chore. You may want to brush off the panels if they tend to collect leaves, but other than that, your system should operate as designed with no intervention. You can also keep track of your production by reading your production meter or checking the inverter display.

RESALE VALUE:

The affect of a solar system on the appraised value of your home can be hard to predict, but according to a study by ICF Consulting, every $1,000 reduction in annual energy bills increases a home’s resale value by $10,000 to $25,000. However, homes are generally valued in comparison to similarly sized and aged homes around them, and if there aren't many solar homes in your neighborhood, the appraiser may not have a bar to measure against. The market for solar homes continues to grow as energy costs increase along with an increased interest in sustainable building.

RECYCLING PV PANELS:
While it will be another 10 years until the first large number of photovoltaic panels reach the end of their life, the manufacturing members of the European association, PV CYCLE, have committed to setting up a voluntary collection and recycling scheme for end-of-life modules. They are committed to collecting a minimum of 65% of PV modules installed in Europe since 1990, and to recycling 85% of waste. Europe is leading the way and since many manufactures involved in PV CYCLE do business also in the U.S., there’s potential for a similar initiative here in North America.