Background
#PV monitoring makes yield deviations, system faults and data gaps visible before an unnoticed outage reduces solar production over an extended period.
In the standard setup, the inverter sends production values and alerts to a portal; with several devices or mixed systems, an external data logger can combine the values. A single weak day is not decisive. The key question is whether alerts, comparison values and the system condition form a plausible overall picture. Snow, shading, an export limit, a missing data connection or a metering error can resemble a technical fault in the yield history. Every anomaly should therefore be classified before it is escalated as a service case.
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What matters in Switzerland
#The data source determines what the portal can show. An inverter portal usually displays generation and device alerts; a smart meter or energy management system can additionally show consumption, grid import and export. If a metering point is missing, its value should not be inferred from a different curve.
Alerts only help when transmission, recipients and responsibility are clear. Swissolar names inverter and string outages as important fault patterns while also pointing to possible communication problems. It must therefore be clear who receives, reviews and, where necessary, forwards an alert to the service team.
Yield control needs an appropriate comparison. Individual daily values vary with weather, season, snow, shading, self-consumption and possible export limits. The assessment becomes more reliable when comparable periods, system sections and known operating conditions are considered together.
A data gap is not yet a production outage. If the portal or app shows no new values, the internet connection, router, data logger, portal service or device link may be affected while the inverter continues to generate. Conversely, a complete data curve can still reveal a technical underperformance.
Monitoring does not detect every physical defect. The Swissolar guide uses broken glass without an immediate performance loss as an example of damage that may remain invisible in the portal. After a storm, visible damage or a recurring fault, a professional visual or system inspection may therefore be required.
Portal access and system documentation belong in the handover. Without device details, the system diagram, serial numbers, clarified access and the responsible service contact, later alerts are slow to classify. Owners should also know which data are stored and who can access them.
The process in six steps
#Tick off for your project
Record the monitoring scope at handover
document the inverter, any data logger, smart meter, battery, energy management system, portal, system ID and service contact. Mark which curve represents production, consumption, grid import or export.
Validate the data flow
after commissioning, confirm with the specialist that current values arrive, periods are assigned correctly and the visible metering points match the installed system. A clean baseline prevents later false alarms.
Activate alerts and responsibilities
define which messages the owner, property manager or service partner receives and through which channel. Also record who updates recipients and the data connection after holidays, staff changes or a router replacement.
Classify the anomaly first
check the time, alert text, last successful data transfer, weather and shading conditions, and known operating states such as battery charging or export limitation. Do not open inverter covers or access the roof for an improvised inspection.
Hand over a traceable service case
record the date, time, screenshot, exact fault message, affected devices, start of the data gap and relevant comparison values. This helps the specialist separate a communication fault, metering problem and system fault before attending the site.
Confirm the remedy and the new baseline
after corrective work, the specialist should verify that alerts, data transmission and production are plausible again. Record the cause and the completed action so that a recurring pattern can be recognised more quickly.
Checked for your roof, not just read up on
What does a system on your roof cost?
With your address we calculate price range, incentives and payback for your roof from federal data. We email the report straight away.
Free and non-binding · no unsolicited calls
Rather talk directly? +41 78 615 90 58
Frequently asked questions
#Sources
#The responsible authorities are decisive. Always verify binding details – amounts, deadlines and conditions – for your specific property against the current status of the respective authority.