Solar inverters are intricate devices which, like all electrical appliances, can go wrong from time to time. However, sometimes when it appears that the inverter is faulty, the issue is actually caused by another part of your solar panel system.

Is the inverter screen blank or are there no lights?

The first thing to try would be to re-boot the system. To shut your solar panel system down, please follow these steps:

Step 1 – AC off

Turn all of the AC isolators to the ‘Off’ position. You should have one located in your mains electrics area, near the generation meter, and maybe another by your inverter.

Step 2 – DC off

Next, turn the DC isolators to the ‘Off’ position. You may have a couple and these will be located by the inverter. The inverter lights should go off and the screen go blank. Leave it off like this for about 5 minutes, then turn is back on.

Step 3- DC on

Turn the DC isolators back on. It is very important that you do this first, before turning the AC isolators on, as arcing could occur otherwise.

Step 4 – AC on

Finally, turn the AC isolators back on. Your inverter may take a couple of minutes to restart and the lights will usually flash while it is booting up. It is normal to see a variety of messages displaying on the screen as it tests.

If this doesn’t solve the problem, contact us here, by calling 01277 523220 or by emailing . There are still other things it could be, rather than an inverter fault, so it may not mean that a replacement is necessary and we will easily be able to check and diagnose.

Is there an error message on your inverter?

Again, try re-booting your solar system by following the above steps. If this doesn’t solve the problem, please contact us with the make and model of your inverter and a detailed description of the error. If you are able to send us a picture of the error, that will help and it will also be useful for us to know the original install date. Sometimes the error message will indicate what needs to be done to get your system back up and running.

Here is a list of some of the solar inverter brands we have worked with, but if yours isn’t here we can still help:

ABB, Afore, Aurora, Enphase Energy, Enfinity, Eversol, Fronius, Goodwe, Growatt, Kako, Kinglong, Mastervolt, Power One, SAJ, Samil Power, SMA, SolarEdge, Solax, Solis, Sunny Boy, Sunteams, Zeversolar.

Green Energy Electrical are award-winning solar panel installers based in Brentwood, Essex. We carry out all kinds of solar-related work from repairs and fault-finding to cleaning and maintenance. If you would like to contact us, can do so here or by calling 01277 523220 or emailing