As more Australian households embrace solar, one question comes up more often...

What actually happens to solar panels when they reach the end of their life?

It’s a fair question. With millions of rooftop systems now installed nationwide, understanding how solar panels are reused, recycled, or regulated at end of life is an important part of the clean energy story.

The short answer is this: solar panels don’t simply become waste. Australia is actively building systems to manage panel reuse and recycling, and policy is evolving to support a more circular solar industry, aligning with global best practice.

Here’s how it works.