Shoddy solar installers fined by regulator

Almost 150 infringement notices have been issued by Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) for the incorrect or unsafe installation of solar panels over the past 15 months.

Working in collaboration with the Solar Victoria Regulatory Taskforce and WorkSafe Victoria, ESV has stepped up the number of solar installation inspections since July 2020, in a bid to further stamp out unsafe installations.

ESV compliance officers visited 552 solar installations across Victoria, including a number of Saturday blitzes, with a number of repeat offenders targeted.

“There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to cut safety corners when it comes to installing solar systems,” said ESV Commissioner and Chairperson, Marnie Williams.

“More than 500,000 Victorian homes already have an installed solar system with installations only expected to rise in the years and decades to come.”

“We need solar installers to raise and maintain standards as more Victorians turn to renewable energy and ditch fossil fuels.”

In addition to the site visits, ESV issued 148 infringement notices to licensed electrical workers with fines of between $100 and $4000 handed out.

The site inspections led to more than 10 ESV investigations relating to unlicensed workers carrying out solar installation work as well as 32 additional investigations for other potential breaches of the Electricity Safety Act.

The majority of the infringements occurred in Melbourne, however there were multiple cases across a number of regional areas, including Bendigo, Gippsland, Geelong and the Surf Coast.

ESV has required each of these installations to be fixed to meet Victoria’s high standards on solar safety and quality and to protect consumers.

The Solar Victoria Solar Homes Program was designed with safety in mind — undertaking targeted, risk-based audits of solar installations, with a focus on potential safety risks, and has seen a 67% drop in the rate of serious concerns since the program commenced in 2018.

Most recent data shows that fewer than 1% of all audited systems have been found to be unsafe and require action. Unsafe systems are immediately disconnected and Solar Victoria works with the retailer to rectify issues and take any other necessary actions.

ESV is also calling for submissions on potential changes to enhance the safety of DC isolators, which can cause solar systems fires when they fail.

With more than 140,000 Victorian homes expected to install a solar system over the next few years, ESV is working to address this issue and protect Victorians.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/mmphoto