Is a Solar System Health Check Worth It 3 Years after Install?

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  CyberMurning on 05/02/2021 - 16:41

  wait 1 more i think 4 years is a good checking point

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  Sawtell on 05/02/2021 - 16:42

  Sounds like an opportunity for them to find problems out of warranty and bill you for them. Why didnt they want to do the health check before the labour warranty expired?

  • 

    Kaeiigain on 05/02/2021 - 16:44

    Still under warranty:
    Growatt Inverter: 5 years
    Q.Cells Warranty: 12yr Manufacturing (inc. Labour) + 25yr Performance

    • 

      Sawtell on 05/02/2021 - 16:45

      +1

      The installation labour isnt under warranty so:

      The integrity of the wiring and wiring enclosures to ensure that no damage has been caused by heat, vermin or other forces.
      The array modules are free of defects or damage
      Junction boxes are water tight and free from moisture ingress
      All associated switches and circuit breakers are operational and all terminations are secure
      Safety warning labels are intact and legible

      All out of warranty.

      • 

        Kaeiigain on 05/02/2021 - 16:52

        Good point. The cable ties snap and silocone they use to ensure moisture doesn't get in will dry up as well after 2 -3 Australian summers.
        I guess they are going up to there to do those kind of maintainace works, they should have use something more durable that last longer.

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  AndyC1 on 05/02/2021 - 16:52

  The price is cheap as they have to travel to you and back to their depot or other jobs and someone has to pay for this. As for checking did they find the cable ties you spotted were coming undone in the report or did they fix them? If they did neither then what do you expect them to find if you found it and they did not!

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    Kaeiigain on 05/02/2021 - 17:05

    Wasn't in their report. I saw them broken last year when I went up for a pre summer clean. I might look for a stronger UV resistant cable tie and provide it to them to use instead of those standard cheapo ones they use that will break in another 2 years. Curious to know what other companies charge.

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  ChrisLevo on 05/02/2021 - 18:15

  +1

  Expensive, but https://www.kf7p.com/KF7P/Grip_Lock_Ties.html are aviation-rated.

  I went shares with a few mates to reduce the freight cost.
  We are Amateur Radio Operators with long coaxial cable and catenary runs in direct sun.

  I use them on runs of coaxial cable as the "UV-proof" ones sold here in Oz break and fall off within a couple of years.

  The Grip Lock Ties have been up for ages with no problem and can be released/re-tensioned/re-used.

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  rorypitt on 05/02/2021 - 19:34

  +1

  If there was something wrong with the solar system I'm sure NASA/the scientists on the ISS would tell us.

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  poboy on 05/02/2021 - 21:13

  Is your system still producing to specification? If so, no inspection is needed.

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  steven6 on 06/02/2021 - 06:03

  I'm interested in your Total Year Generation figures.

  I have 2.03kw of panels going through a 3kw inverter and only produced 1501kwh last year as reported via AGL. Living in Brisbane with just partial shade over some of the panels very late in the afternoon. My system was installed around 2014 but has produced similar output over the 7 years.

  How are your figures reported?

  Your system seems to be producing just over double what mine would produce if I had the same kw of panels.
  Your system produces 1705kwh per yer per kw of panel
  My system produces 739kwh per yer per kw of panel.

  Anyone else care to input their system/results?

  • 

    avoidfullprice on 06/02/2021 - 16:43

    +2

    https://pvoutput.org/region.jsp?country=1 is a good source of stats how other systems around the country perform. You can dive down to your neighbourhood as well.

    https://pvoutput.org/listmap.jsp?sid=73671 shows
    systems around Perth area (assuming that's where OP lives). At a glance, they have average efficiency about 4.5kWh/kW per day

    https://pvoutput.org/listmap.jsp?sid=38841 shows systems around Brisbane area. At a glance, they have average efficiency about 3-4kWh/kW per day

    OP system:

    5348.5kWh / 365 days = avg 14.65kWh per day

    14.65kWh /3.18kW = 4.6 kWh/kW efficiency, which is achievable.

    Your system:

    1501kWh / 365 days = avg 4.11kWh per day

    4.11kWh / 2.03kW = 2.02 kWh/kW efficiency, which is a bit low.

    Are you on gross feed in, which mean AGL reports total generation? Or are you on net feed in, which reports total export?

    • 

      steven6 on 06/02/2021 - 17:10

      Thank you for the links.

      With such varying results it makes me wonder if some solar installers are installing inferior panels or just saying they're a certain wattage panel and installing a panel of lesser wattage?

      I can see my FIT is 52cents (locked in when installed in 2012, 2014 was incorrect in my 1st post) per kWh but not sure if it's gross or net. I guess gross as I can see generated income from power minus the power usage costs equals my bill.

      • 

        avoidfullprice on 06/02/2021 - 17:33

        With such varying results it makes me wonder if some solar installers are installing inferior panels or just saying they're a certain wattage panel and installing a panel of lesser wattage?

        A way for us to check is to find the peak power your system generate in summer, ideally on a cool clear day.

        Next is really look at your output in 5 mins internal. For my neighbourhood, I find the panel orientation makes a big difference in the variation. Mine is NW, and I lose about 10% of efficiency in winter compare to a N facing system. Looking deeper, mine has shorter sunshine hour and here gets cloudier in the afternoon during winter. I find that while my system tolerance heats better, the gain is little compare to my neighbours performance.

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          steven6 on 08/02/2021 - 07:51

          +1

          @avoidfullprice: Peak power was 1.45kw. I have a 10 Degree pitch on the roof and panels are facing North East as per picture. https://imgur.com/a/yc0mRx2

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  steven6 on 08/02/2021 - 07:49

  Peak power was 1.45kw. I have a 10 Degree pitch on the roof and panels are facing North East as per picture. https://imgur.com/a/yc0mRx2

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  Isla Brown on 31/07/2021 - 21:23

  You can do a simple health check of your solar system by looking at the color of the lights shining on the box during daylight hours when the system is running. A green light on your inverter means your system is functioning properly. A red or orange light during daylight hours means there's a system event or fault