Inspections of a PV system from construction to operation

A photovoltaic system is not something you mount and then forget. It is an electrical installation in continuous operation, on a roof, exposed to the weather, often unwatched for years. Over its life the operator faces the same four questions: was it built correctly, was it handed over correctly, does it still run as it did at the start, and can I prove that if something happens. This article sorts the inspections into four phases and says openly which part belongs to QopterVision and which does not.

Why this matters more right now

With the new edition of the Austrian installation rule OVE E 8101, in force since 1 October 2025, the requirements for photovoltaic systems have become clearer. The documentation follows OVE EN 62446-1 and covers, among other things, circuit and site drawings, the test and measurement records of the electrical equipment, the calculated maximum open circuit voltage and short circuit current, a commissioning report and the maintenance recommendations of the manufacturers. Fire safety points under OVE-R 11 come on top, for example the marking of the disconnection points and the cable routes and a plan for the fire brigade. The practical consequence is uncomfortably concrete: if the documentation is missing, proving proper installation after damage becomes difficult and insurance cover can be put in question.

Phase 1, construction and commissioning

This phase creates the basis for everything later. The contractor tests the system electrically and produces the commissioning report. As the operator you should not settle for an invoice and a key, but ask for the complete system documentation and archive it. Anyone who has to request those documents from the contractor five years later often has a problem, especially if that company no longer exists.

Phase 2, handover

Handover is the moment when responsibility changes and the warranty period starts. An independent record of the condition is worth most exactly here, because it becomes the starting point later. Thermography at this moment shows whether single modules are already conspicuous at handover, and it does so independently of the contractor who built the system. Anyone who claims a loss of yield three years later without a documented starting condition is arguing about assumptions.

Phase 3, operation

In operation two things overlap that are often confused. One is the recurring inspection of the electrical installation, which belongs in the hands of a qualified electrician and ends in a test certificate. The legal basic rule for fixed electrical installations is five years, and the Austrian Kuratorium für Elektrotechnik recommends three years for photovoltaic systems because they are heavily stressed. Which interval applies to your system depends on the type and use of the property, and your electrician tells you that bindingly.

The other is watching the condition between those dates. That is where the monitoring data of the inverter, the visual check and the thermography belong. Monitoring data tells you that output is missing. It does not tell you at which place in the field. A thermal image closes exactly that gap, and it does so without anyone climbing onto the roof.

Phase 4, damage, warranty and sale

When it matters, it is not memory that decides but the filing cabinet. Anyone making a warranty claim against a module manufacturer, talking to an insurer after a storm or hail, or selling the system, needs a traceable and dated condition. A series of photos on a phone is not evidence. An inspection report with the conditions of the measurement, module numbering and image pairs is.

Who does what

• Qualified electrician: commissioning, recurring inspection, electrical measurements, test certificate, repair of faults
• Thermography from the air: make the condition of the module surfaces visible, locate and document anomalies, in accordance with IEC TS 62446-3
• Cleaning: only where soiling is actually relevant, at QopterVision through a partner company, with images before and after
• Operator: archive the documents, keep the intervals, keep an eye on the monitoring

A simple rhythm that works in practice

• At handover: ask for the system documentation and have an independent thermography as the starting condition
• Every year: go through the monitoring data and look at the system from the air, on smaller systems one appointment every two years is often enough
• Every three to five years: recurring electrical inspection by the qualified electrician, depending on system and use
• After any event: storm, hail, lightning, work on the roof or an unexplained drop in yield

What QopterVision does and does not do

QopterVision delivers the documented condition from the air, that is the thermography of the module surfaces, the inspection report with the findings and the site sketch with continuous module numbering that stays the same at every further flight. QopterVision does not carry out electrical measurements, does not issue a test certificate under the installation rules and does not repair faults. A finding from the thermal image is a well founded indication of where the qualified electrician should look, and does not replace that inspection.

If you want to see what such a report looks like, a complete sample report with example data is sent on request.

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