The local renewable energy industry has moved to allay consumer concerns about household solar power systems following a NSW Government statement about the results of an audit conducted by the Office of Fair Trading.
Premier O’Farrell said the review of 658 homes in Sydney’s north-west by Fair Trading inspectors found widespread defects in solar panel units
He said 18.5 percent had major defects and 63.5 percent had minor defects. The major defects related primarily to incorrect installation of some components or incorrect wiring while the minor defects generally related to incorrect marking and signage.
Mr O’Farrell stressed that, of the 120,000 homes in NSW with solar installations, only two had reported minor fires in their fuse boxes.
He said the most important advice to householders was NOT to turn off their solar panel systems but to call a qualified expert if they were concerned that their installation may be defective.
Peter Bulanyi, Managing Director of Urunga based Solar Inverters Pty Ltd, says reports about unsafe solar power systems in NSW are “wildly exaggerated and for the most part technically incorrect”.
“Double pole circuit breakers have been used as solar panel isolators for decades,” Mr Bulanmyi said. “A good quality DC breaker has clear markings indicating the correct polarity on it and as such presents no trouble for an installer to correctly wire.”
“The vast majority of DC breakers installed into NSW solar power systems are wired correctly and pose no threat whatsoever to person or property.”
Another local solar installation company Bellingen Solar welcomed the solar panel audits, but advised customers not to panic about the safety of their systems or attempt to D.I.Y. your own inspection.
"Our industry is heavily regulated and most local companies employ experienced local qualified BCSE (solar accredited) electricians. We have been made aware through the 2010-11 financial year regarding the ease of wiring DC breakers in the wrong polarity, this has been the main defect found during the audit. Other concerns found in the audits on Sydney homes were incorrect labelling, and not having a separate AC breaker when inverters are placed not beside the meter box,” said Jason Bradbrook, Operations Manager for Bellingen Solar.
"The boom cycle caused by the now closed 60C NSW Solar Bonus Scheme, has seen a surge of grid connect solar installations in the valley and NSW,” he said.
“A swag of new solar companies have sprung up, as well as a numbers of national companies who were vying for NSW market share and installing in the region.”
“At the same time legislation, regulations and standards are constantly reviewed and introduced, so there was always going to be a good chance of non compliant installations whether it be from inexperience, or not keeping up with changes to regulation,” Mr Bradbrook said.
“A defective system can be as simple as having an incorrect label, this does not mean your system is dangerous or may cause fire."
“If a defect is found your installation company will be required to fix the fault at no charge. “Essential Energy also has carried out post installation inspections of every system installed in our region, so non compliant installation are reported and usually amended before the system gets commissioned. BCSE electricians also fill in a certificate of compliance upon completion of an installation. It's highly unlikely for major defects to slip by,” he said.
We applaud the state governments audit initiative to keep Solar Companies on their toes and to reach for levels of best practice, the common goal is to raise consumer confidence in the solar industry in general. The main issue is don't panic, if you are worried about your installation contact your installer. If you also are in the remaining 95% who still want to go solar pressure your local member, be heard. Support local solar installation companies and fight for a fair and equitable NSW feed in tariff.
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