Solar firm gives old panels new life
Every year, millions of solar panels reach the end of their first life cycle while still functional. Bridge Solar, a Ghanaian-US company founded in 2015, salvages these units and deploys them across West Africa, where affordable solar power remains limited.
Founder Emmanuel Nyaletey said the shift toward expansion isn’t only about volume but also precision.
From US recycling yards to West African rooftops
Bridge Solar acquires panels from recycling facilities and commercial solar installers in the United States. Before purchasing any equipment, Nyaletey or his staff inspect each site in person, testing units with electrometers and other tools. Only panels meeting the company’s standards and requiring minimal repair are approved for reuse.
Over 98% of the panels it buys return to service. Most are around 10 years old when acquired, though Nyaletey expects them to last another 15 years. Even panels with cracked glass often continue generating power. In one test with a partner in Vermont, the company powered a trailer using only damaged units.
The process spans two continents. Containers arrive at Tema port in Ghana, where local staff handle customs clearance and transport to a warehouse outside Accra. There, panels are unloaded, sorted by wattage, and logged into the company’s in-house CRM system. Any transit damage is documented, and repairs are typically completed within weeks.
Equipment that can’t be fixed is set aside for manual dismantling. The company follows standard U.S. recycling practices, recovering valuable components by hand. Sometimes, parts from three broken inverters are combined to assemble one working unit. The rest is sorted and sold to downstream recyclers and smelters.
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Manual testing slows progress—automation may help
Bridge Solar’s team currently relies on electric screwdrivers, soldering kits, and electrometers to test panels. On average, testing takes about five minutes per unit, though larger or more complex panels can take up to 15. The biggest delay comes from identifying dead cells.
Nyaletey said manual testing is time-consuming. That’s why the company is negotiating with BrightSpot Automation to purchase its PanEL-Spot and TravEL-Spot systems. The equipment would automate cell-level inspections, reducing testing time to roughly 20% of current levels. More importantly, it would provide detailed data on how long individual cells are likely to perform at peak output.
The plan is to install one system in the U.S. and another in Ghana. The company has also developed its own software platform to manage customers, inventory, and equipment. Customers can pay bills, report issues, and monitor system performance through a portal. A Google Maps-based tracking system follows every piece of equipment from purchase in the U.S. to final installation in West Africa, offering transparency for both the business and its clients.
A growing market faces funding challenges
The supply of used panels is increasing, but Nyaletey said the main obstacle isn’t demand—it’s securing funds to buy more equipment.
Scaling up remains the priority. The next wave of solar panel retirements has begun, presenting an opportunity to keep functional panels out of landfills while delivering reliable power to communities that need it. Whether funding will arrive in time remains uncertain.
As markets feel pressure, businesses like Bridge Solar demonstrate how secondhand materials can address gaps in infrastructure.
