PV Module Retirement Policy Explained: Why End-of-Life Decisions Need EL Evidence

ⓘ This article is currently published in Chinese. An English version is being prepared — read the Chinese original.

In March 2026, six Chinese ministries led by the MIIT jointly issued a guideline on the comprehensive utilization of photovoltaic modules, setting a cumulative recycling target of 250,000 tons by 2027 and calling for the industry to be ready for the coming wave of large-scale module retirement by 2030. One task in the document deserves more attention from plant owners than it has received: establishing clear end-of-life criteria and improving the testing and inspection methods behind them. Retiring a module is not a calendar decision — a 20-year-old module may still work, while a 6-year-old one damaged by hail or repeated thermal cycling may already be beyond economic repair. The difference lies inside the cells, where cracks, fractures and interconnection fatigue are invisible to the naked eye and often silent in monitoring data. This article reviews what the new policy actually requires, why retirement judgment is harder than it looks, where EL imaging fits into the decision chain — from whole-plant screening to sample verification — and which situations do not justify the extra testing effort. A short FAQ addresses the questions plant owners ask most.