Low output guide
Why Solar Panels Stop Producing and What the Causes Are
When the numbers in your monitoring app slip, the cause is on the glass, in a part under the panels or in the inverter itself. Here is how to tell which, and when to hand it to us.
Output dropped? We answer the phone or call back the same working day.
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Start with the usual suspects
Common causes of low solar production
Low production comes from dirt or shade on the panels, a failed microinverter or a loose connector, or a more serious inverter failure or panel degradation.
The causes near the top of the list often clear up with the weather or a rinse. The ones near the bottom do not come back on their own, and those are the ones that need a technician on the roof or at the inverter.
If you are not sure where yours sits, call and tell us what the app shows. We will tell you whether it is worth a visit.
Call Incite Solar SolutionsThe common causes of low output, from simplest to most serious:
- DirtPollen, leaves and grime film the glass and dim the light that reaches the cells.On the glass
- ShadeA tree that has grown since the array went up shades part of it for part of the day.On the glass
- SnowA covering blocks the light until it slides off or melts.On the glass
- Failed microinverterThe box under one panel quits, and that panel goes quiet while the rest keep running.Under the panels
- Loose connectorA connection in the wiring under the array works loose and the panels behind it stop delivering.Under the panels
- Inverter failureThe central box stops converting power, shuts the system down and shows an error.Repair job
- Panel degradationThe panel itself wears and makes less power, the kind of fault a diagnostic test finds, such as "PID degradation".Repair job
Read the app before the roof
Reading the monitoring app
A production drop shows up as a dip in your monitoring app, and even a 20 percent drop costs hundreds of dollars a year.
Monitoring data is where our technicians start too: the dip shows when output fell and how far. Set a clear day this week beside a clear day last month, or this month beside the same month last year. A sunny day that reads low is worth a call, so do not write it off as a glitch in the app.
Yes
One panel can pull down the rest
The short answer
How one panel or microinverter drags down output
One malfunctioning panel can lower the output of the whole system and raise your utility bill, and a failed microinverter cuts 10 to 25 percent without shutting anything down.
That silence is the trouble. A "microinverter" is the small box under each panel, and when one gives out, the rest of the array carries on as if nothing happened. Nothing trips and no light comes on; the loss only shows in the numbers, which is why the app is worth a look every so often.
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Inverter guide
How a string inverter and a microinverter each fail, and what that means for the panels around them.
String Inverter vs Microinverter
Weather and the trees
Snow, shade and dirt on the panels
Snow, shade and dirt can cut production or stop it outright until the panels are clear again.
Panels make power from the light that reaches their cells, as the U.S. Department of Energy explains, so anything on or over the glass takes its share.
Snow
A heavy covering stops an array cold, and output comes back as the snow slides off or melts. Let it go on its own; climbing up to clear it is not worth the fall.
Shade
A pine or maple that was small when the panels went up can shade part of the array for hours now. A dip that shows at the same time every sunny day points to shade.
Dirt
Pollen, leaves and grime build a film the rain does not always rinse away. Cleaning is priced by system size and how easy the panels are to reach, and once or twice a year is the usual advice.
Output still low once the glass is clear? Then it is not the weather, and that is the point to call.
Call for a Free EstimateSigns it is time to call
When low output needs a repair call
A fault alert, a burning smell, an unusual sound or a drop that does not recover once the panels are clear should go to a technician, because a damaged panel carries voltage high enough to kill.
A "ground fault" or an "arc fault" shuts the inverter down and raises an alert on purpose, and either one is a reason to leave the covers closed. Stay off the roof and keep away from a damaged panel. OSHA's solar energy hazard guide lays out the shock, arc flash and fall risks behind that advice.
Any of these warning signs means it is our job:
- A fault alert in the app or on the inverter
- A burning smell near the inverter or the array
- Buzzing, popping or any sound the system did not make before
- Output that stays low after the panels are clear
- Corrosion or discoloration on a panel or the wiring
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Repair guide
What a repair visit covers, from inverter faults and wiring to leaks under the array.
Solar Panel Repair in Pittsfield
Fault alert on the app?
Tell us what the app or the inverter shows, and we will set up a visit to find the cause.
Call Incite Solar Solutions (413) 724-0582We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after.
From owners around Pittsfield
What neighbors say about working with us
Our Google reviews, as the owners wrote them.
The representatives we worked with at Incite - Jonathan and Daniella were incredible and kept us informed every step of the way. The electrical team and installation team were wonderful and efficient and did an amazing job under brutally hot conditions! We are thrilled that we decided on Incite Solar Solutions and know that going forward it will be the best decision we ever made. We are fortunate that all of our panels are in the back and we actually forget they are there. Great installation.
We're in line to get a system thru SunPower with Derek as our rep. So far so good--he's been great! We had a hiccup with our first home site inspection--seems that the info never made it back to Incite. Then Peter Walters was assigned to come out--night and day difference from our first home site visit. Peter totally knew what he was doing. Hope all continues to go well!
We had Pete survey our property and he did an amazing job, took his time explaning to us everything he was doing and in what condition our home was in. He did a pretty awesome job!
Output still low?
Tell us what the app shows and we will find the cause
Call with what you are seeing, and we will set up a free, no-obligation estimate for the repair.
We answer the phone or call back the same working day.
We clean up when the work is done.