Segen, a UK distributor of renewable energy technologies, has announced the launch of a solar panel recycling scheme, designed to support commercial installers and corporate customers to manage end-of-life solar assets and large-scale repowering projects.
As the UK’s installed solar capacity continues to increase, the industry faces a pressing challenge: the responsible disposal and recycling of solar panels at the end of their operational life. The Segen scheme, delivered in partnership with Pravas Sustainable Technologies, will address this need by providing a seamless, transparent and cost-effective recycling solution that ensures decommissioned panels are diverted away from landfill and reintroduced into the circular economy.
The scheme will initially focus on commercial projects, enabling installers and system owners to arrange compliant collection and recycling of decommissioned solar panels from active sites. A second phase, expected at to be announced later this year, will extend the service to residential installers and customer drop-off locations.
Customers will be charged a fixed fee per panel, providing greater cost certainty during project planning and tendering. A minimum collection volume of one pallet (35 panels) will be applied, with no upper limit on total quantities.
Collections will be available throughout England, Wales and Scotland (excluding the Highlands and Islands). With logistics tailored to minimise disruption, panels will typically be collected within 48 hours of booking. Transport costs will be quoted separately on a project-by-project basis.
Recycled panels processed through the scheme will be broken down to recover materials including aluminium, glass, silicon and trace precious metals such as silver. These materials can then be reintroduced into manufacturing supply chains, supporting circular-economy principles and reducing reliance on newly extracted raw materials.
“With the UK’s commercial solar capacity continuing to expand rapidly, more installations are reaching the end of their operational life, or being repowered as technology advances. This creates a significant challenge for installers and system owners who need a reliable, responsible way to manage old panels,” comments Darren Sykes, Head of Warehouse & Logistics UKI at Segen Ltd.
“As the UK’s largest renewables distributor, we consider it our responsibility to deliver a practical, reliable and cost-effective solution. Our recycling scheme will not only ensure panels are handled safely, but will also recover valuable materials for reuse, reduce landfill impact, and strengthen our customers’ ESG credentials, helping the industry move toward a truly circular model of solar deployment.”
