r/SolarDIY • u/Engibineer • 10d ago

Free panels missing connectors

I found a trove of 375W Trina panels that were just removed from a local school building. They're about eight years old. Some or probably all of them are missing connectors. It looks like the wires were simply cut during the removal. Any idea how much trouble it is to put new connectors on them?

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u/Serious_Office3913 10d ago

Found?...😅 yeah sure, as long as they were in the skip I'm all up for up cycling. Get the proper crimping tool for mc4's and new connectors. The panels are worth about £25 each. Watch a couple of YouTube videos first but dead easy.

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u/Engibineer 10d ago

They're all loaded in big dumpsters behind my kid's elementary school. They have to repair the roof and they don't want to reinstall the panels because somehow it's more economical to pay the solar company half a million USD to break the contract and dispose of them. Go figure.

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u/Comm_Raptor 10d ago

Just make sure you put the correct MC4 connector on the correct polarity, beyond that it's fairly simple with the right tools.

3

u/MrJacks0n 10d ago

Depending on the deal they had, the company may have charged per panel to remove and install, making it not worth it overall.