What Are the Signs Your Solar Panels May Need Repair?
Some of the clearest warning signs include:
- Energy production has dropped unexpectedly and remains low
- Your inverter or monitoring system repeatedly reports a fault or error
- Part or all of the solar system has stopped producing
- You can see cracked glass, discoloration, or other physical damage
- Performance does not return to normal after temporary conditions such as poor weather have passed
None of these signs identifies the problem by itself. Solar systems include panels, inverters, wiring, connectors, and other equipment, so diagnosing the cause matters before deciding what needs to be repaired or replaced.
1. Your Solar System Is Producing Less Electricity Than It Used To
A sustained decline in solar production is one of the most useful indications that a system deserves a closer look.
The key word is sustained.
Solar production naturally changes from day to day and season to season. A cloudy week will not look like a sunny one. Winter production should not be compared directly with peak summer production. New shade from tree growth or a nearby structure can also affect output without anything actually being broken.
Instead, look at your system’s production history.
If comparable months or periods are consistently producing less electricity than they did previously, particularly without an obvious change in weather or shading, there may be a system issue worth investigating.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends reviewing historical solar production and notes that a year-over-year drop greater than 10% can be an indication of a maintenance issue. That is not a universal failure threshold, but it illustrates why production history is more useful than judging a system from one low-output day.
If you have access to a solar monitoring app or portal, your own system data should be one of the first places you look.
2. Your Inverter Is Showing an Error or Repeated Warning
Your panels produce direct-current electricity. The inverter is responsible for converting that electricity into the alternating current used by your property and the electric grid.
That means a problem with the inverter can affect solar production even when the panels themselves are perfectly intact.
Depending on the equipment installed, a system may provide an error message, warning light, or alert through its monitoring platform when something is wrong. An occasional communication error does not necessarily mean the system needs repair, but repeated inverter faults or warnings should not simply be ignored, especially if they appear alongside lower production.
The type of inverter also affects how obvious a problem may be.
New York State research has found that individual microinverter failures can sometimes remain unnoticed while the rest of an array continues to produce electricity. A failure involving a central or string inverter can be much easier to detect because it may cause a larger portion of the system, or the entire system, to stop producing.
That is another reason monitoring matters. A solar system does not always fail all at once.
3. Part of Your Solar System Has Stopped Producing
A solar array can appear to be working while one section is underperforming.
This is particularly important for larger residential and commercial systems. If production monitoring is available at the panel, inverter, or string level, you may be able to see that most of the system is operating normally while one section is producing substantially less or nothing at all.
That kind of pattern deserves professional diagnosis.
The underlying issue could involve a module, inverter or optimizer, electrical connection, wiring, or another component. Determining which part has failed is more useful than assuming the solar panels themselves need to be replaced.
For property managers, building owners, and homeowners with older systems, this is also why simply seeing solar production on a utility bill does not tell the whole story. A system can still generate electricity while producing less than it should.
4. You Can See Physical Damage to a Panel or Other Equipment
Some problems are visible.
Cracked or broken panel glass, unusual discoloration, burn marks, or obviously damaged system components should be evaluated rather than ignored. Solar industry research and inspection guidance identify conditions such as broken glass, delamination, discoloration, and burn marks among visual defects that can occur in photovoltaic modules.
You do not need to climb onto your roof to inspect the system yourself.
If panels are visible safely from the ground or another normal vantage point, look for an obvious change in condition. After severe weather or nearby roof work, it is also reasonable to pay closer attention to both the physical condition of the array and its production data.
If something appears damaged, the next step should be an inspection. The visible damage may be the entire problem, or it may be one part of a larger issue that cannot be diagnosed from the ground.
5. Production Stays Low After the Obvious Causes Are Gone
Not every solar performance problem requires a repair.
Before assuming equipment has failed, consider whether something temporary could explain the change.
Cloud cover can reduce production. Seasonal changes affect the amount and angle of sunlight reaching the panels. New shading can alter performance. Dirt and debris can also reduce the sunlight reaching a module.
The distinction is what happens next.
If production returns to its normal pattern when those conditions change, you may not have a repair issue at all. If production remains unusually low under comparable conditions, or the same problem keeps returning, it becomes more reasonable to have the system evaluated.
This is where historical data is especially valuable. NYSERDA research on solar photovoltaic system performance evaluates production while accounting for weather because weather alone can materially change solar output.
In other words, “my system produced less this month” is not the same as “my system is failing.”
Look for patterns, not isolated numbers.
Does a Higher Electric Bill Mean Your Solar Panels Are Broken?
Not necessarily.
A higher electric bill may be what first gets your attention, but the bill alone cannot diagnose a solar problem.
Your electricity use may have increased. Utility rates can change. Weather can affect both your household or building consumption and the amount of electricity the solar system produces.
If your bill suddenly rises, check the solar production data alongside it. If electricity consumption is relatively similar but solar generation has dropped substantially compared with comparable periods, that gives you a much stronger reason to investigate the system.
The solar monitoring data tells you what the system produced. The utility bill tells you what happened financially. They answer different questions.
Does an Offline Solar Monitoring App Mean the System Is Broken?
Not always.
A monitoring platform that suddenly stops displaying data can indicate a communication problem rather than a generation problem. The system may still be producing electricity even though the app is no longer receiving or displaying information correctly.
That distinction is worth checking before assuming you need solar panel repair.
However, monitoring problems should still be addressed. If you cannot see what the system is doing, it becomes easier for an actual performance problem to go unnoticed.
If the monitoring system is offline and you cannot confirm whether the array is producing normally, a solar professional can determine whether the issue is limited to communications or involves the system itself.
What Should You Check Before Scheduling Solar Repair?
You do not need to troubleshoot rooftop electrical equipment yourself. A few basic observations can, however, make a service visit much more useful.
Check your monitoring portal, if you have one, and note when the change in performance began. Compare production with the same period in a previous year rather than an unrelated month. Save any error messages or fault codes your equipment displays. Think about whether anything around the property has changed, such as new shade, construction, or recent roof work.
If you can safely see the panels from the ground, note any obvious physical damage.
Then leave the electrical diagnosis to a professional.
Solar arrays generate electricity whenever sufficient light is present, and system components should not be opened, disconnected, or repaired simply to see whether that solves the problem.
What Does a Professional Solar System Inspection Look For?
A useful solar repair visit should identify the cause of the performance problem before jumping to replacement.
Depending on the system and the symptoms, that can include reviewing production history, checking inverter performance and error information, evaluating individual sections of the array, inspecting electrical connections, and looking for physical damage to modules or other components.
This system-wide approach matters because what homeowners commonly call a “solar panel problem” may not involve the panel itself.
A failed component may be repairable or replaceable without replacing the entire solar array. Conversely, visible damage to a module does not tell you whether other parts of the system have also been affected.
The objective is to find the fault, determine its effect on production, and then decide what work is actually necessary.
Do Solar Panels Need Repair or Replacement?
It depends on what failed.
A problem with wiring, connections, an inverter, or another component may call for a targeted repair or component replacement. A physically damaged panel may need to be replaced. More extensive system replacement is a different decision and should be based on the condition and performance of the system as a whole.
That is why it is better to diagnose first rather than assuming that poor production means the entire solar system has reached the end of its life.
For most owners, the first question is not “Do I need new solar panels?”
It is:
“Why isn’t my existing system performing the way it should?”
Answer that first.
Solar System Not Performing Like It Should?
If your solar production has dropped, your system is reporting errors, or you have noticed possible damage, Energo can evaluate the system and help determine the next step.
Energo provides residential solar services, including maintenance, repairs, and replacement for existing solar systems. We also provide commercial solar services for property managers, building owners, and businesses.
Our team can also work with solar systems originally installed by another company.
Call 888-378-9898 to talk with Energo about your solar system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if my solar panels are not working properly?
Look for an unexplained and sustained drop in solar production, repeated inverter or system alerts, a section of the array that stops producing, or visible physical damage. Compare performance under similar weather and seasonal conditions before assuming the equipment has failed.
How much of a drop in solar production is normal?
Solar production naturally varies with weather, season, shading, and other conditions, so there is no single percentage that automatically means a system is broken. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that a year-over-year production decline greater than 10% can indicate a maintenance issue, but the cause still needs to be diagnosed.
Can a solar system still work if one panel or component has a problem?
Yes. Depending on the system design and the component affected, part of a solar array may continue producing while another part underperforms or stops working. Production monitoring can help identify these less-obvious problems.
Does a solar inverter error mean I need new solar panels?
No. An inverter error points to a problem that needs to be understood, but it does not by itself mean the solar panels need to be replaced. The inverter, electrical connections, monitoring equipment, or another component may be responsible.
How Do You Know If Your Solar Panels Need Repair?
Solar panels do not need to stop producing electricity completely before something can be wrong.
A noticeable drop in energy production, repeated inverter alerts, a portion of the system that stops producing, or visible damage can all be signs that a solar system should be inspected.
NYC DEP Boiler Registration: What Is the CATS System and How Does Renewal Work?
If you received a notice from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection that mentions CATS, a boiler registration or an upcoming renewal, it is easy to wonder what exactly you are being asked to do.
The first thing to know is that CATS is the filing system, not the boiler requirement itself.