At a glance: Commercial solar repowering replaces an aging array with new modules, inverters, and wiring on the same roof. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando paired a 2024 roof replacement with a 2.2 MW DC array that, according to Orange County, more than doubles its previous solar generation on the same footprint while the building stayed open. This article compares repowering with remove-and-reinstall, repair, and decommissioning, names the variables that drive cost and schedule, and ends with a role-by-role checklist for owners.
Commercial solar repowering replaces an aging array’s modules, inverters, and wiring on the same roof, and the strongest time to do it is when the roof under the array is due for replacement. At the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Advanced Roofing replaced the roof in 2024 around a full event calendar, and Advanced Green Technologies installed a 2.2 MW DC array that, according to Orange County, more than doubles the center’s previous solar generation on the same footprint. An owner who repowers on a failing roof, or re-roofs without a plan for the array, can pay for a second removal before either system reaches the end of its life. This article covers that decision for large occupied commercial and public buildings; it does not argue that every older array should be replaced, and it does not address residential systems.
Why are first-generation commercial solar arrays due for repowering now?
Many of Florida’s early commercial rooftop arrays were installed within a few years of each other, and the equipment and the roofs beneath them are aging together. The Department of Energy’s end-of-life management page, citing Berkeley Lab survey data, reports that the average operational lifespan of a solar panel has increased from around 20 years in 2007 to 25 to 35 years in 2025. Berkeley Lab’s 2020 survey of solar industry professionals found useful-life assumptions for utility-scale projects rising from about 21.5 years in 2007 to about 32.5 years in 2019. A rooftop system designed around a 2007-era assumption is close to the life its owner budgeted for.
Module output is only one trigger. Inverters, combiners, monitoring hardware, and wiring from the same era raise their own questions: whether replacement parts are still manufactured and whether the monitoring still reports. The roof is usually the deciding variable. A single-ply or built-up roof installed alongside the original array often reaches replacement on a similar timeline, and a roof cannot be replaced under modules that stay in place.
Disposal is the third factor. The EPA’s guidance on end-of-life solar panels states that some panels test as hazardous waste and some do not, even within the same model, and that the agency is developing a proposed rule, announced in October 2023, to add solar panels to the universal waste regulations (status as of October 1, 2026). Modules that still produce power can be reused instead.
What did commercial solar repowering involve at the Orange County Convention Center?
At the Orange County Convention Center, commercial solar repowering meant a full roof replacement on the North-South Building, removal of the original array, and a new 2.2 MW DC rooftop system on the same footprint. Orange County’s press release states that the new array more than doubles the center’s previous solar generation, and AGT’s project completion announcement places the original installation in the company’s early years in solar, nearly two decades earlier. The county reports that the center hosts about 200 events a year and kept operating through the work.
The roof came first. Advanced Roofing, AGT’s sister company, completed the roof replacement in 2024, according to the county. AGT’s Orange County Convention Center re-roof and solar upgrade project page lists the scope as 1,374,000 square feet of 80-mil Johns Manville PVC on the RhinoBond fastening system over 2-inch polyiso insulation, with more than 300 roof drains replaced on a building 80 to 100 feet tall. Because the membrane and the new modules went on in sequence, both start their service lives together, and the owner is not budgeting for a mid-life remove-and-reinstall.
The electrical design addressed distance. On the North-South Building roof, power is collected across spans of 700 to 800 feet. AGT’s project page and announcement describe SolarEdge inverters with power optimizers and a combiner box configuration engineered for those long DC runs, with Hanwha Q CELLS modules. The county notes that the system includes real-time monitoring, which matters on a roof too large to walk for every alert.
The removed equipment did not go to a landfill. Orange County and the Orlando nonprofit IDEAS For Us launched a giveaway in February 2025 that redistributed 5,800 decommissioned panels to more than 120 Florida recipients, according to the county. Solar Power World’s report on the project covers the completion and the panel reuse effort.
| Project element | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Owner and site | Orange County; Orange County Convention Center North-South Building, Orlando | Orange County press release |
| New array | 2.2 MW DC; Hanwha Q CELLS modules; SolarEdge inverters and power optimizers | AGT announcement, April 2026 |
| Output change | More than double previous solar generation on the same rooftop footprint | Orange County press release |
| Roof system | 80-mil Johns Manville PVC, RhinoBond fastening, 2-inch polyiso; 1,374,000 sq ft; 300+ drains replaced | AGT project page |
| Roof completed | 2024 | Orange County press release |
| Array unveiled | April 24, 2026 | Orange County press release |
| Removed modules | 5,800 panels redistributed to 120+ Florida recipients (giveaway launched February 2025) | Orange County press release |
| Building operations | About 200 events a year continued during the work | Orange County press release |
Repower, remove and reinstall, repair, or decommission: how do the options compare?
An owner with an aging array and a roof near replacement has four practical paths. The choice depends on how much life the existing equipment has left, how much life the roof has left, and what the building needs from on-site generation. A roof and drone solar survey of the existing system is usually the first piece of evidence.
| Option | What it involves | When it fits | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repower | Remove the original system, replace the roof if due, install a new system designed to current code | Original equipment near the end of its planned life; roof due for replacement; owner wants more output from the same roof area | Highest upfront cost of the four; new engineering, permitting, and utility review; credit treatment depends on facts only a tax advisor can evaluate |
| Remove and reinstall | Lift the existing modules, replace the roof, reinstall the same equipment | Modules and inverters have substantial life left and parts are still supported | Puts aging equipment on a new roof, so the array may need replacing long before the roof; older modules can be damaged in handling |
| Repair in place | Keep operating and fix failures as they occur | Roof and system both have years of service left | Repeated repairs on end-of-life equipment add up; leaks under modules are costly to reach |
| Decommission | Remove the array without replacing it | Building use, structure, or budget no longer supports solar | Loses on-site generation and any sustainability commitment tied to it; removal and disposal still cost money |
Repowering is not the right answer for every older system. If the modules test near expectation, the inverters are supported, and the roof has a decade or more left, repair in place and a planned repower at the next roof cycle can cost less. Remove and reinstall fits a roof that fails early under a young array. A statewide contractor built for occupied campuses and multi-megawatt roofs may also not be the lowest bid on a small, simple system.
What drives the cost, schedule, and output of a commercial solar repowering project?
A repower cannot be priced responsibly without the building’s specifics, so this section names the variables instead of quoting a range. AGT does not publish pricing, and Orange County did not disclose the project’s cost.
- Roof condition and scope. Whether the roof is replaced, and whether coring and moisture scanning find wet insulation or deck damage that turns a recover into a full tear-off.
- Removal and handling. Existing module count, racking type, crane access, and where removed panels go.
- Electrical layout. Distances from array zones to inverters and service equipment; the convention center’s 700 to 800 foot spans required a specific combiner design.
- Structural review. The new array’s weight and attachment method, checked by the engineer of record against the roof structure and design wind pressures.
- Interconnection. A change in system size reopens the interconnection agreement with the serving utility, which can add review time.
- Operating constraints. Night and weekend shifts, blackout dates, and shutdown windows extend the calendar.
- Output. The gain depends on module efficiency, usable roof area after setbacks, shading, and orientation; the convention center’s result reflects that building only.
AGT’s solar engineering and permitting process starts with these site variables before a system is sized.
How do you repower solar on an occupied Florida building?
On an occupied building, the repowering schedule is built around the people inside it. AGT’s project page states that crews of 30 to 40 people worked night and weekend shifts at the convention center so that events continued without disruption, and the county confirms the center kept hosting its calendar during the roof work.
The owner experiences the work in a fixed order. A pre-construction meeting sets shutdown windows, crane pick times, staging areas, and the notice period for tenants or event planners. The existing array is de-energized and removed zone by zone. The roof is replaced in the same zones with each section dried in before crews leave for the day, then new racking and modules go on, and electrical tie-in happens during a scheduled outage. Commissioning and close-out documents finish each zone.
Florida adds weather and wind to that sequence. Open roof areas are kept small and secured daily during the June 1 to November 30 hurricane season. Rooftop arrays are designed to rated wind pressures; storms can exceed them, and warranties carry wind-speed limits and exclusions. The engineer of record sets design wind loads, and in Miami-Dade and Broward counties the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions of the Florida Building Code apply. AGT’s guide to commercial solar hurricane preparedness covers what owners check before and after a storm.
Coordination risk concentrates at the roof attachments. When the roofer and the solar contractor are separate companies, every penetration and warranty boundary is a handoff. At the convention center, Advanced Roofing and AGT planned the roof and the array as one project. Owners comparing approaches can review Advanced Roofing’s commercial re-roofing work on occupied buildings alongside AGT’s commercial rooftop solar installation services.
Which code, credit, and utility dates affect a commercial solar repower in 2026 and 2027?
Three sets of rules change the timing of a repower, and each belongs to a specific professional. As of October 1, 2026, the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) is in effect, and the 9th Edition (2026) takes effect December 31, 2026; confirm both dates with the Florida Building Commission before permitting. The permit application date generally determines which edition governs, so a repower permitted in late 2026 may follow different provisions than one permitted in 2027. The building official makes that determination.
Electrical work follows NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, in the edition Florida has adopted, including rapid shutdown requirements for PV systems on buildings. A repowered array is new work, designed to the edition in force when it is permitted.
Federal solar tax credits changed under the 2025 budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with deadlines tied to when construction begins and when a system is placed in service. The IRS page on the clean electricity investment credit describes the Section 48E framework. Whether a repowered system qualifies, and how a public owner such as a county would claim any credit, is a question for the owner’s tax advisor, re-checked when the project is budgeted. Interconnection terms are set by the serving utility and, for investor-owned utilities, by Florida Public Service Commission rules; the owner’s energy manager should confirm them before design is final.
Commercial solar repowering checklist for facility and energy leads
- Facility director: pull the commissioning date, as-builts, inverter models, and five years of production data.
- Roof consultant: core and moisture-scan the roof under and around the array and report remaining service life in years.
- Solar contractor: report which modules, inverters, and combiners are still supported.
- Structural engineer: confirm the roof structure for the new array’s dead load and the design wind pressures.
- Energy manager: confirm interconnection and metering changes with the serving utility before final design.
- Tax advisor: confirm credit eligibility, timing, and the claim method for the owner’s entity type.
- Procurement officer: confirm the procurement path, including cooperative purchasing such as AGT’s Equalis Group cooperative contract for eligible public agencies.
- Operations or event manager: set blackout dates, shutdown windows, and tenant notice periods before bidding.
- Sustainability lead: decide whether removed modules are resold, donated, or recycled.
- Owner’s representative: require one roof-and-solar schedule with warranty boundaries written into each contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is commercial solar repowering?
Commercial solar repowering is the replacement of an operating array’s modules, inverters, and associated wiring with new equipment on the same building, usually on the same roof area. It differs from repair, which keeps the original system, and from remove-and-reinstall, which puts the same equipment back after roof work. A repower is new work, so it is engineered, permitted, and interconnected to current requirements.
How do I know if a commercial solar array should be repowered or repaired?
Compare three things: production data against the original estimate, whether the inverters and modules are still supported by their manufacturers, and the roof’s remaining service life from a roof consultant. Repair fits a supported system on a roof with years left. Repowering fits equipment near the end of its planned life on a roof that is due for replacement.
Can a solar array stay in place during a roof replacement?
No. A roof cannot be replaced under modules and racking that stay in place, so the array is either removed and reinstalled or removed and replaced. That is why the roof’s remaining life belongs in any solar decision. If the roof will need replacing within the array’s expected life, the owner is already budgeting for a removal.
How much more power can a repowered array produce on the same roof?
It depends on the module efficiency gap between the old and new equipment, the usable roof area after code setbacks, shading, and orientation. At the Orange County Convention Center, the county reports that the new 2.2 MW DC array more than doubles previous solar generation on the same footprint. A designer can model the gain for a specific building.
What happens to the old solar panels after repowering?
Working panels can be resold or donated, and others are recycled or disposed of under applicable rules. The EPA notes that some end-of-life panels test as hazardous waste and some do not. At the convention center, 5,800 removed panels went to more than 120 Florida residents, businesses, and nonprofits through a county giveaway with IDEAS For Us.
Can a building stay open during a solar repowering project?
Yes, with a schedule built around its operations. At the Orange County Convention Center, crews worked night and weekend shifts and the center kept hosting events. Owners should set shutdown windows, crane pick times, staging areas, and tenant or event notices in the pre-construction meeting, before work starts.
What the convention center project shows owners of aging arrays
The Orange County Convention Center repower worked because the roof and the array were treated as one decision. The roof was replaced first, the new 2.2 MW DC system was designed for long electrical runs, the removed panels were reused, and the center kept its event calendar. Owners of first-generation arrays can apply the same sequence at any scale: measure the remaining life of the roof and the equipment, compare the four options on those facts, and hand code, structural, tax, and utility questions to the professionals who own them. After the new system is running, an operations and maintenance program keeps its performance documented for the next decision.
Written by The Technical Team at Advanced Green Technologies. Founded in 2007, Advanced Green Technologies is 100% employee-owned and ranked #1 among Florida commercial and industrial EPC contractors on Solar Power World’s 2026 Top Solar Contractors list.
If your building’s array and roof are aging together, request a repowering assessment from Advanced Green Technologies or call (888) 735-2641, or contact our commercial solar contractor team in Orlando.