How do I know if my solar system has stopped working?

Most people find out from a bill, months late, which is the argument for checking the inverter or the monitoring app on a fixed schedule. A simple habit: once a month, look at the inverter on a sunny afternoon and confirm it is producing something proportionate to the weather.

Do rooftop isolators fail?

Rooftop DC isolators have been a recurring failure point in Australian installations, to the point of being the subject of recalls and regulatory change, largely through water ingress. If your system is of that vintage and has stopped, it is a reasonable thing to ask the technician to inspect first.

Who to hire when solar stops producing

Short answer

A solar installer accredited for grid-connected PV, who is also a licensed electrician — the accreditation and the electrical licence are separate things and the work needs both. Before ringing, check the inverter display or app for a fault code, and check whether the solar circuit breaker at the switchboard has tripped.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Solar Installer.

a roofer
panels have to come off for roof work, or the mounting has damaged the roof. Panels off and back on is a solar job; what is under them is a roofer's.
an electrician
the fault is at the switchboard rather than in the array or inverter.

What to do before anyone arrives

Look at the inverter. A fault code, a red light, or a blank screen are three different starting points and the code is worth writing down.
Check the solar circuit breaker and isolators — there is usually one at the switchboard and one or more near the inverter and on the roof.
Check the monitoring app for when production actually stopped. A date is worth a lot to diagnosis.
Compare with your bill. Systems commonly fail silently and the first symptom is a bill that went up months ago.
Find the original installation paperwork if you can — inverter warranties are long and often still current.

What to ask when you book

Are you accredited for grid-connected PV, and are you a licensed electrician?
Is the inverter still under warranty, and will you handle the manufacturer claim?
Will you test the strings and give me the readings, or just replace the inverter?
If panels need removing, who is responsible for the roof afterwards?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

Inverter replacement versus a fault in the array or the isolators.
Roof access and pitch if panels or roof-mounted isolators are involved.
Whether the system is old enough that a replacement inverter needs the whole system re-registered with the distributor.
Whether original installer records exist, which decides whether warranty is straightforward.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Work on a grid-connected solar system is licensed electrical work. Installing or altering one to claim small-scale technology certificates additionally requires the installer to hold the industry accreditation, and the retailer or distributor must be notified of the system.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for solar panels that stopped producing: A solar installer accredited for grid-connected PV, who is also a licensed electrician — the accreditation and the electrical licence are separate things and the work needs both. Before ringing, check the inverter display or app for a fault code, and check whether the solar circuit breaker at the switchboard has tripped.
How do I know if my solar system has stopped working?: Most people find out from a bill, months late, which is the argument for checking the inverter or the monitoring app on a fixed schedule. A simple habit: once a month, look at the inverter on a sunny afternoon and confirm it is producing something proportionate to the weather.
Do rooftop isolators fail?: Rooftop DC isolators have been a recurring failure point in Australian installations, to the point of being the subject of recalls and regulatory change, largely through water ingress. If your system is of that vintage and has stopped, it is a reasonable thing to ask the technician to inspect first.

Find a Solar Installer near you

1,516 solar installers in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.