Solar & Wind Repowering: Secondary Metals Surges

Repowering is moving from theory to a steady, measurable supply source for secondary metals. Solar passed roughly 1.6 TW cumulative capacity in 2023 and crossed the 2 TW mark in 2024. Wind set a record year with about 117 GW commissioned in 2023 and an even higher mechanical install figure in 2024. A bigger installed base means larger mid-life component swaps and end-of-life tear-downs. That turns repowering into a dependable stream of aluminum, copper, and steel for yards and traders. 26973329.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net+3IEA-PVPS+3Reuters+3

Why repowering is accelerating

Owners care about output and tax economics. In wind, the US "80/20" rule can qualify repowered assets as new for credits, which improves project returns. In solar, inverters often need replacement around year ten to fifteen, and falling module prices make selective string or full-row upgrades attractive. Policy and economics, not only failures, are driving schedules. CohnReznick+2KPMG Assets+2

The metals, where they sit, and what moves first

Start with mass, not anecdotes. A typical 1 MW crystalline-silicon solar plant contains about 70 tonnes of glass, 56 tonnes of steel, 19 tonnes of aluminum, and about 7 tonnes of copper, plus polymers and silicon. Frames and cabling create the highest value per tonne even though glass dominates by weight. Wind turbines are steel-heavy by design. Average steel intensity clusters around 110 tonnes per MW across types, while copper intensity varies by layout, with offshore higher because of export cables. IRENA+2JRC Publications+2

What this implies for volume

Europe offers a clear near-term picture. Between 2023 and 2030, about 83 GW of onshore wind in Europe reaches fifteen years of age. Industry groups expect most of that fleet to be life-extended, with a smaller share repowered and a slice decommissioned. That mix still releases nacelles, generators, cabling, and blades into the secondary stream. The EU also enforces strict PV take-back and recovery targets, which pushes more consistent panel flows into treatment plants. Wind Energy Ireland+1

Regulation now shapes supply quality

The EU WEEE rules set minimum recovery and recycling levels for PV modules, moving from 80 percent recycling a few years ago to an 85 percent recovery and 80 percent recycling benchmark. US programs are backing blade and magnet recovery with prize funding and lab support. These rules and incentives change behavior on site, and they improve documentation and chain-of-custody, which matters when you sell to mills with compliance screens. IEA-PVPS+1

How the flows look by technology

Solar first.

Frames, rails, junction boxes, and DC/AC cabling arrive with inverter swaps and string repowers. The panel itself remains a glass-dominant product by weight. Typical composition sits near 70 to 76 percent glass, roughly 8 to 13 percent aluminum, around 1 percent copper, and trace silver. The economics concentrate in aluminum and copper unless you run a high-value process for silver recovery. Where panels are collected under producer schemes, you see cleaner bales and better paperwork, which shortens settlement time. The Equation

Wind next.

Tower sections release plate-heavy steel when owners change hub height or swap to larger rotors. Copper sits in generators, transformers, switchgear, and long cable runs, with offshore layouts pushing the copper per MW far above onshore. Blades are the outlier. They need co-processing in cement kilns or thermal or chemical routes. US and EU initiatives have put real money behind those routes, and a wave of prize winners in 2024 to 2025 is moving from pilots to commercial lines. International Copper Association+2Trilogy Metals Inc.+2

Worked examples you can adapt

A regional utility schedules a 100 MW PV repower over twelve months. Using IRENA's mass guide as a planning anchor, that inventory could release around 1,900 tonnes of aluminum and 700 tonnes of copper if you were swapping full modules and rails, with your actuals lower when owners only change inverters and selective strings. Cap your bids to the site's bill of materials and walk the rows before you price. IRENA

A US wind operator replaces nacelles across 300 MW of onshore units. Practical copper recovery will depend on how much cabling they change. Onshore averages center near the mid single-digit tonnes of copper per MW at build. Secondary release during repower is a fraction of that when towers and main cables stay. Your ceiling case uses 1.5 to 2.5 tonnes per MW for nacelle-driven swaps, which pencils to 450 to 750 tonnes of copper. Offshore projects can exceed that intensity because of cables. Copper Development Association

Pricing, contracts, and yard design

Write contracts to match the work, not a generic grade sheet. For solar, specify payment on net frame mass after hardware removal, with a clear deduction curve for steel screws and sealants. For cables, build in strip tests at intake, then settle by bare-equivalent yield. For wind, separate metals from blades. Sell blades as a fuel and raw meal substitute into cement kilns or send them to thermal or chemical plants under a toll. In all cases, request photos, serial lists, and WEEE or state take-back references before loading. It saves disputes and protects your sale to mills that screen for compliance. IEA-PVPS

Operations that shorten cash cycles

Set one clean lane each for frames, insulated copper, and plate-grade steel. Keep a sealed pad for blade cutting to control dust and runoff. Use portable XRF to spot 5xxx vs 6xxx aluminum, then bale by alloy family when you can. Log glass breakage rates per crew. Simple habits like these shift you from arguing about contamination to collecting on known yields.

Case snapshots to watch

EU PV collection is scaling. Reported collection volumes in 2022 across several countries approached 50,000 tonnes, with Italy and Germany leading. That matters because program collection improves traceable paperwork and gives you regularity. In the US, blade recycling projects that won federal prize funding in 2024 reached the final award round by late 2024 and early 2025, which suggests more commercial intake points for composite materials ahead. pv magazine International+1

Risk, uncertainty, and how to manage both

Module prices are low, so owners may repower earlier than nameplate life suggests. That increases near-term aluminum and copper flows but pushes a second EoL wave farther out. Permitting affects wind tear-down schedules, so shipments slip. Treat all wind repower deals as rolling programs and settle weekly while crews are on site. For PV, the strictest bottleneck is often logistics and depalletizing speed, not scrap price. Solve the bottleneck first, then argue about the last few dollars per tonne.

What 2026 to 2030 likely brings

The installed base keeps rising. Solar added hundreds of gigawatts in 2023 and 2024, so even a one percent annual repower of that base yields meaningful metal. The EU will keep pressuring compliant PV collection and treatment. Wind additions remain strong, and Europe's aging fleet points to mixed outcomes across life extension, repower, and decommissioning, all of which still produce metals in different quantities. Globally, copper use per MW stays highest offshore because of cables. Expect more composite blade routes to come online as prize-backed teams commission plants. IEA-PVPS+2Reuters+2

A practical playbook that reads like operations, not theory

Start upstream. Work with asset owners, O&M firms, and EPCs to get outage calendars sixty days ahead. Tie your price to verified weights by item, not truck totals. Use photos and serials to match loads to arrays or turbine IDs. Build a short list of processors that meet your buyers' compliance screens, then quote two ways, with you as a processor or as a collector feeding that processor. Hedge aluminum and copper only against material you expect to process inside ten days. Avoid broad short steel positions unless towers are actually coming down.

Why this matters to yards and traders

Repowering turns the energy transition into a metals supply story. It is regular, documented, and policy-backed in many markets. The winners will be the teams that price from mass and drawings, that lock logistics early, and that close paperwork fast. There is no need for heroics. Do the simple things well and repeat them across sites.

Sources to brief your team

IEA PVPS Snapshot 2024 confirms the solar base and 2023 additions. Reuters and GWEC confirm record wind installs and the 2024 ramp. IRENA sets material intensity for 1 MW PV plants and long-run PV waste projections. The EU WEEE regime defines PV recovery and recycling thresholds. DOE and NREL document the blade recycling prize and final awardees. These set the facts you can plan against. The Department of Energy's Energy.gov+6IEA-PVPS+6Reuters+6

One-pager for asset owners

Title: Repowering Metals Recovery, Zero-friction for Owners

Audience

• Wind and solar asset owners, developers, O&M leads, finance.

Why you care

• You lift output and extend life.

• You turn retired components into cash.

• You meet PV take-back and blade recycling rules with clean paperwork.

What you get

• Site survey within 7 days.

• Firm load-out windows and traffic plan.

• Safe removal for frames, cables, nacelles, and blades.

• Chain-of-custody package, serials, and weight tickets.

• Payment on verified weights, net of agreed deductions.

Scope we handle

• Solar: modules, frames, rails, junction boxes, DC and AC cabling, inverters.

• Wind: nacelles, generators, transformers, tower sections, cables, blades.

Commercial options

• Revenue share per tonne with transparent price benchmarks.

• Tolling to a named processor.

• Fixed fee for blades, credit for metals.

Proof of value

• 100 MW PV full repower can release up to 1,900 tonnes aluminum and 700 tonnes copper.

• 300 MW onshore nacelle swaps can release roughly 450 to 750 tonnes copper, depending on cable scope.

Compliance

• PV: WEEE or state take-back verified before lift.

• Blades: kiln co-processing or approved thermal or chemical routes.

• Metals: treatment and sales aligned with buyer screens.

Data package you receive

• Serial lists by string or turbine ID.

• Photos, load manifests, and weight tickets.

• Recycling and treatment certificates.

Payment terms

• Weekly true-ups while crews are on site.

• Final settlement within 5 business days after last delivery.

Contact

• Add your name, phone, and email.

Yard SOP for intake

Purpose

• Standardize intake of repowering scrap from wind and solar sites.

• Protect safety, quality, and compliance.

Roles and PPE

• Assign gate lead, scale operator, QA tech, and yard foreman.

• PPE at all times: hard hat, cut-resistant gloves, eye protection, steel toes, hearing protection.

• Lockout tagout for powered equipment.

Pre-arrival checklist

• Receive outage calendar and load plan 72 hours before first truck.

• Confirm paperwork: serial list, WEEE or take-back reference, manifests.

• Stage bins: aluminum frames, insulated copper, plate steel, mixed hardware, composites.

• Test portable XRF and cable strip station.

• Blade pad sealed and drained, size-reduction tools ready.

Scale and gate

• Verify carrier, load ID, and seal numbers.

• Gross weight on arrival, tare after unload.

• Record truck, trailer, time, and driver ID.

Solar modules and frames

• Inspect pallets for breakage.

• Depopulate hardware in a clean lane.

• Weigh frames separate from glass.

• Sample five frame pieces per pallet for alloy and fastener contamination.

• Deduction table: screws and steel clips above 1 percent mass, apply agreed deduction.

Rails and hardware

• Sort 5xxx and 6xxx when possible.

• Bale by alloy family.

• Record contamination notes.

Cables and electricals

• Sort by gauge and insulation class.

• Perform three strip tests per reel.

• Grade as bare equivalent, No. 2, or insulated per yard spec.

• Moisture cap 1 percent. Reject spooled cable with standing water.

Inverters, junction boxes, transformers

• Confirm depollution completed at site. No oils or live parts.

• Remove bus bars and copper tails for separate weighing.

Wind nacelles and towers

• Tower plate to plate-grade pile.

• Nacelle internals to nonferrous prep.

• Verify no fluids. If present, quarantine and notify owner.

Blades and composites

• Send direct to blade pad.

• Cut to kiln size spec or tolling spec.

• Cover loads in rain. Keep pad sweepings separate.

Documentation and photos

• Photograph each load before and after unload.

• Attach serial list and load ID to batch ticket.

• Keep daily log of breakage, contamination, and incidents.

Quality sampling rates

• Aluminum frames: 5 pieces per pallet.

• Cable reels: 3 strips per reel.

• Nacelle scrap: visual plus magnet test on each tote.

• Record results in the intake sheet.

Deductions and regrades

• Apply posted deduction curves.

• Escalate disputes to QA tech, then yard foreman.

Reporting and settlement

• Send daily intake report by 18:00 with photos and weights.

• Weekly true-up while crews are active.

• Final reconciliation within 5 business days after last delivery.

Safety and housekeeping

• Keep traffic one-way.

• Sweep pads at shift end.

• Review incidents in daily tailgate meeting.

Calculator file

I created a ready-to-use Excel file that converts your repower schedule into monthly aluminum and copper tonnages.

What it does

• You enter each month's MW by technology and scope.

• The file looks up default yields per MW and calculates tonnes of copper and aluminum.

• A summary sheet totals both metals by month.

How to use

• Open Inputs. Enter Month, Region, Technology, Scope, and MW.

• Use these scopes: PV Full module+rails, PV Inverter+strings, Wind Onshore Nacelle only, Wind Onshore Nacelle+tower, Wind Offshore Nacelle only, Wind Offshore Nacelle+tower.

• Go to Library to adjust default yields in kg per MW. Replace with your site bill of materials when available.

• Review Results for per-line tonnages and the Summary for monthly totals.

Download

Download the Excel template here:

Download the Repower Metal Calculator

Note on defaults

• PV full: 7,000 kg copper per MW, 19,000 kg aluminum per MW.

• PV selective: 500 kg copper per MW, 1,000 kg aluminum per MW.

• Wind onshore nacelle only: 2,000 kg copper per MW, 200 kg aluminum per MW.

• Wind offshore nacelle only: 2,500 kg copper per MW, 300 kg aluminum per MW.

These are placeholders. Replace them with your fleet data and BOMs.