Panels from decommissioned solar projects undergo cleaning at SanTan Solar in Gilbert, Arizona, before being listed for resale.
Photographer: Caitlin O’Hara for Bloomberg GreenUsed Solar Panels Sold on Facebook and eBay Have Cult Following
Devotees of secondhand panels tout their low price and the environmental benefits of keeping them in rotation longer.
Todd Dabney, who’s been going to the Burning Man festival since 2011, needed a way to keep his tent cool under the baking Nevada sun. So the IT consultant created what he calls “the ultimate swamp cooler” out of a heavy-duty plastic storage container, pumps, tubes and a fan.
Powering the device is a 385-watt JinkoSolar panel that he snapped up on Craigslist several years ago from a nearby seller for $100. Dabney recalls that the seller was upgrading his solar array and getting rid of his current panels, which were about five years old.