Repair or Replace Solar Panels: Which Is Right for Your Home
Written by HyreSolar Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
Quick answer
Repair or Replace Solar Panels comes down to upfront cost, lifetime savings and how long you plan to stay in the home; here is each factor side by side.
Repair almost always wins when one part has failed: an inverter, a microinverter, a connector or a cracked panel.
Replacement (what NREL calls repowering) only pays when the whole system is old, the panels have lost a meaningful share of their output, and a roof job or repeated failures would force spending anyway.
Panels lose output slowly, at a median of about 0.5% a year in NREL’s review, so age alone is rarely the reason.
Cost side by side
Installed prices as other publishers state them, gross of incentives. Each range is the median published low to the median published high across at least 12 dated sources, retrieved October 21–22, 2026; the source rows sit on the linked cost page.
| Option | Published range | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Repair: typical service job | $215–$1,000 | 12 dated |
| Repair: string inverter replacement | $1,200–$2,900 | 12 dated |
| Replace: new typical system | $22,100–$27,500 | 14 dated |
No 30% federal credit is subtracted: Section 25D ended for expenditures after December 31, 2025.
NREL’s four options, applied to a home system
| Option | What it means | When it fits a house |
|---|---|---|
| Extend | Keep running the system with ordinary upkeep | It works, output is close to what you expect, no roof work is due |
| Refurbish (repair) | Fix what failed: inverter parts or whole inverters, failed modules swapped for compatible ones, wiring, racking | A single failure, or a few, on a system with years left |
| Repower (replace) | New modules and inverter, which resets both warranties | Old system, repeated failures, a reroof, or a wish for much more output from the same roof |
| Decommission | Remove everything, with modules reused or recycled | Selling a lease-free house that will not use solar, or a roof with no future for panels |
Options and descriptions: NREL, Best Practices at the End of the Photovoltaic System Performance Period (NREL/TP-5C00-78678).
Before replacing anything, check whether the original installer still exists and who holds the warranty: national vs local installer covers what happens when the company on the contract is gone.
First, find out what actually failed
Most “my solar stopped working” calls are one component. An app showing zero is often a monitoring or inverter issue, not the panels (monitoring shows zero).
A drop in production can be shade, soiling, a tripped breaker or one failed string (why solar underproduces).
Ask for the diagnosis in writing, with the failed part and the test that found it, before you discuss replacing anything.
Check the warranty before you price anything. Panel product and power warranties commonly run 25 years and inverter warranties 10 to 25; a covered part can leave you paying only labor. Never open the array yourself: panels produce DC voltage whenever light hits them.
Savings over 25 years
The arithmetic favours repair because panels age slowly. Jordan and Kurtz’s NREL review of 1,920 published degradation rates found a median of 0.5% a year and a mean of 0.8%, with the distribution skewed toward higher losses.
At the median, a 20-year-old array still produces about 90% of its first-year output.
A repair that restores a failed inverter brings the whole system back; replacement spends the price of a new system to gain the last 10% or so, plus whatever newer panels add per square foot.
Replacement starts to pay when several things line up: the system is out of warranty, it has had repeated failures, its panels are small by today’s standards so a new array on the same roof would produce far more, and a reroof means the panels are coming off anyway.
NREL notes that a reroof is a common trigger, with many owners finding it more cost-effective to install a new system than reinstall the old one (see reinstall vs new system).
Keeping an old system running has a cost too. In NREL’s utility-plant model, an array extended to year 40 is down to 68% of new production with rising upkeep.
That is a model case for a power plant, not a forecast for your roof, but it shows the shape of the trade. Use the inverter replacement planner for the most common fork in the road.
Questions to ask before you approve a repair or a replacement
- 1What exactly failed, and how was it tested?
A written diagnosis with photos and meter readings, not “the system is old”.
- 2Is the part under warranty, and who files the claim?
Product warranties often cover the part but not the labor or roof access; ask what you will pay either way.
- 3Is an identical or compatible replacement available?
Older panels and inverters go out of production. A compatible substitute has to match your inverter’s electrical limits.
- 4What will production be after the fix?
Ask for the expected annual kWh after repair, and after a repower, so you compare like with like.
- 5Does a repower need a new permit and utility approval?
A larger replacement system usually does, and that can change your export terms; see net metering vs net billing.
Which to choose if…
- 1One inverter or microinverter failed
Repair. Claim the warranty first; if out of warranty, replace the unit (see micro vs string inverters).
- 2A panel is cracked or a connector burned
Repair with a compatible module. Ask the installer to check the matching rules for your inverter.
- 3The system is old, failing repeatedly and the roof is due
Get a repower quote alongside the reroof; compare it with removal and reinstall of the old array.
- 4Your installer is gone
Repair is still possible; see when your installer is out of business.
When you are ready
Ready to explore solar for your home?
If you have done your research and want to speak with a solar professional, HyreSolar can help you explore available options.
Free, with no obligation: a person at HyreSolar reads your request and gets back to you about it. Matching with solar professionals is not live yet, so this is not a quote, and nothing is shared with anyone until you agree.
Keep learningQuestions
Is it worth repairing old solar panels?
When should solar panels be replaced?
Does replacing solar panels qualify for a tax credit?
Sources & retrieval dates
- NREL, Best Practices at the End of the Photovoltaic System Performance Period (NREL/TP-5C00-78678, 2021) , Extend, refurbish, repower and decommission options; typical repairs; reroof as a trigger; Extend Case at 68% of new production by year 40 (utility-plant model). Read from the New Jersey DEP copy. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- Jordan and Kurtz, Photovoltaic Degradation Rates: An Analytical Review (NREL, 2012) , Median 0.5%/yr and mean 0.8%/yr across 1,920 published rates, skewed toward high degradation. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- Public Law 119-21 , Termination of Section 25D for expenditures after December 31, 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
HyreSolar does not install, finance or sell solar. This page is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice; terms, prices and rules vary by state, utility and contract.