S01:E06

Second-Life Solar: Powering Ghana’s Missing Middle

Ghana

Feb 10, 2026

• 17min 39s

Episode description

Across much of Africa, the energy conversation jumps between two extremes: utility-scale power on one end and small solar lanterns on the other. What’s often ignored is the “missing middle” small businesses, clinics, farms, workshops, and community facilities that need reliable power but fall outside traditional grid and donor models.

In this episode, we examine how second-life solar equipment repurposed commercial-grade panels, inverters, and balance-of-system components can be responsibly deployed to serve this gap in Ghana.

This is not about dumping e-waste or cutting corners. It’s about engineering discipline: inspection standards, derating strategies, risk management, and aligning technical reality with local economic conditions. We discuss where second-life solar makes sense, where it absolutely does not, and how improper deployments can do more harm than good.

You’ll hear a grounded discussion on:

Why the “missing middle” matters for real economic development

The difference between reuse, refurbishment, and failure-export

Technical criteria for second-life PV viability

O&M realities in emerging markets

Why local capacity and accountability matter more than panel wattage

This episode is for engineers, developers, policymakers, and operators who want practical solutions, not hype. If we’re serious about energy access, we have to be serious about system integrity.

Renewable Energy @Renewable_Energy

Feb 10, 2026

New episode is live: Second-Life Solar Powering Ghana’s Missing Middle.

We examine the gap between utility-scale power and small off-grid systems, and how second-life solar can responsibly serve clinics, farms, and small businesses. No hype, no charity framing just engineering reality, system integrity, and what actually works on the ground.

17:39

S01:E06

Feb 10, 2026

Second-Life Solar: Powering Ghana’s Missing Middle

Episode description

Persons