Germany-based green energy supplier Naturstrom has partnered with startup Panelretter to commercialize refurbished second-life solar panels for balcony PV systems.
“There are more and more solar modules that have been decommissioned from old photovoltaic systems but are still functional and powerful,” said Panelretter's co-founder, Tillmann Durth. “We want to give these solar modules a new life.”
The products are now available for purchase on Naturstrom’s website. The range includes three models, with outputs between 400 W and 810 W. Prices for complete sets start at €220, and each set includes an inverter, bracket, and registration service with Germany's Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur).
Panelretter also offers a 1.6 kW package for €579, while a storage unit from Anker Solar is available for €1,499.
In addition, Naturstrom offers a wall-mounted balcony power station with 810 W, priced at €349. This includes refurbished solar modules, an inverter, bracket, and registration service. Naturstrom customers can redeem a 10% discount when ordering via Panelretter.
“In the medium term, a second market for solar panels must be established, as there already is for refurbished cell phones and notebooks,” said Durth. “Especially in view of the growing number of repowering projects, it is economically and above all ecologically essential to create the necessary structures for this.”
Panelretter’s plug-in solar devices primarily use modules from repowering projects, where older PV systems are replaced with more powerful models. Some modules had visual defects before installation and were set aside for this purpose.
