Schools
Lights for early classes and evening study, and power for phones, computers and projectors.
Renewable energy, within everyone's reach
Give old solar equipment a second life
A revived solar panel can power a school, a clinic, a farm or a home that could never afford a new one. We train technicians to bring equipment back to life, and make sure what can't be saved is recycled safely.
Training is free. At least 30% of places in every cohort are for women.
Second-life solar, first-time power
Revived panels and batteries cost far less than new ones, so they can reach the places new systems don't.
Clinics
Reliable light and power for night-time care, without the cost and fumes of a generator.
Farms
Solar water pumps for irrigation, and power to cool, dry and store produce so less of the harvest is lost.
Homes and small businesses
Light after dark, phones charged, and shops that stay open longer, in communities the grid doesn't reach.
Why it matters
Solar is growing fast, and so is the number of panels taken out of use. Many still work, or could with a simple repair. Every one we revive is power for someone who needs it, and one less panel in a dump.
- 600,000 tonnes
- of solar panels reached the end of their life worldwide in 2022.
- 4 times more
- by 2030, when yearly panel waste is set to reach 2.4 million tonnes.
- Up to 78 million tonnes
- of panels will have reached the end of their life by 2050.
Sources: Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (UNITAR and ITU); End-of-Life Management: Solar Photovoltaic Panels (IRENA and IEA-PVPS, 2016).
Who it's for
We're doing this with the people who fix, own and sell solar.
Technicians and repairers
Solar technicians, electronics repairers and anyone who handles old equipment. Learn to test, repair and revive systems, and earn from it. New to solar? You can still apply.
Apply for trainingEquipment owners
A dead battery or a panel that stopped charging, at home, in a shop, a school or a clinic? Log it. A trained technician checks it, and if it can't be fixed it goes to a licensed recycler, not a dump site.
Log equipmentTraders and installers
Join a network of fixers and sellers sharing fault-finding tips, spare parts and safe ways to get rid of dead equipment.
Join the communityTwo skills, taught hands-on
Every trainee leaves able to do both.
Keep It Running
Find the fault, fix what can be fixed, and keep home and shop systems working for longer.
- Test panels, batteries, charge controllers and inverters
- Repair the faults that come up most often
- Record the before and after, with the owner's sign-off
Handle It Safe
Store, move and hand over dead equipment without harm to you, your customers or the land and water around you.
- Manage lithium battery fire risk and work safely with DC power
- Store and transport damaged equipment without leaks or fires
- Hand it to a licensed recycler, with a receipt
The Second Life Network
Our equipment register connects people holding old or broken solar equipment with trained technicians. Anyone can log equipment. It takes about two minutes and you don't need an account.
-
Log it
Tell us what it is, roughly what state it's in, and your town or LGA. Add a photo if you can.
-
Get your code
You'll get a code like SSL-0042. Write it on the item with a marker.
-
We check it
A trained technician looks at it and records what they find.
-
Revived or recycled
If it can be fixed, it's revived. If not, it's collected at an event and handed to a licensed recycler.
Applications are open for Cohort 1
- Free
- 15 places
- Five practical sessions
- Starter toolkit when you graduate
Every trainee gets a transport and refreshment allowance for each session, and we can help with childcare and mobility. Just tick what you need on the form.
Learn at your own pace
Free to read, watch and download. No login needed.
Solar Lifecycle Field Guide
Our open, practical guide to testing, repair and safe handling. Read it online, one chapter at a time, or download the PDF.
Read the field guideVideo lessons
Short videos filmed in real workshops. Each one covers a single job, from reading a multimeter to packing a leaking battery.
Watch the videosGreen Tech Pulse podcast
Conversations with the people building green technology, from solar and battery storage to waste and recycling.
Listen to Green Tech PulseNews and events
First equipment collection day
Bring dead panels and batteries that can't be revived. We'll check them in against your register code and pass them to a licensed recycler.
Graduation day
Our first technicians receive their certificates and starter toolkits, and show the systems they've brought back to life.