Low electricity savings can come from the panels, the inverter or the wiring — and telling them apart early saves a wasted technician visit. These checks need no tools and take five minutes.
1. Read your inverter
- Is the display green and showing current power in kW?
- At midday, is the output close to your system's expected capacity?
- Open the monitoring app — does generation start in the morning and peak around noon?
2. Compare with what you expect
A rough rule in North India: a 1 kW system produces 4–5 units per day on a clear day (less in monsoon and winter). If a 5 kW plant is giving 8 units instead of the usual 20+, something has changed — and comparing string-wise data in the app usually shows which string dropped.
3. Visual checks (from the ground)
- Broken, cracked or bird-dropped panels
- Heavy dust, bird droppings or leaf cover
- Shade from a new tree, water tank or building
- Burnt or hanging cables near the DC box
4. Knowing which side the fault is on
Inverter green but output low = panel/string side (dirt, shade, damaged panel, loose MC4 connector). Inverter red or dark = inverter side (grid, fuse, internal fault). Inverter normal but app offline = communication side only — generation may still be fine.
Frequently asked questions
Can I test solar panels with a multimeter?
A technician can check open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current (Isc) per string with a multimeter to find the weak string. We do this during troubleshooting as standard.
Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
Yes, at reduced output — typically 10–25% of rated capacity. Very low output on cloudy days is normal and not a fault.
Need a solar inverter repaired?
Share your inverter brand, model and error code — our technicians will guide you and share an estimate before any repair starts.