What does this solar pv inverter annual checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering planning and isolation, connections and heat, safety systems, grounding and enclosure, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The PV service tech on the annual service, with an electrician for the de-energized work.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year, part energized for the thermal scan and part shut down for the connection and disconnect work.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a solar pv inverter annual inspection?

Rapid-shutdown assumed working because it was commissioned once, never re-initiated to confirm the array actually drops to a safe voltage. DC connectors from different makers mated at a field repair, corroding and heating where the mismatched halves meet.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Solar PV inverter annual maintenance checklist

The annual PV inverter service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against NEC (NFPA 70), manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Planning and isolation

Service window agreed with the owner and utility where required
Owner told of the lost production, and where the interconnection agreement requires it the utility is coordinated before its disconnect is opened or locked.
No photo
Loaded scan taken under the energized-work procedure
Scan taken in daylight while producing, before isolation, through IR windows or with covers off only as the site's energized-work procedure allows, PPE from its arc-flash risk assessment.
No photo
Both sides isolated after the loaded scan, discharge wait kept
AC, DC and auxiliary locked, tagged, discharge wait kept, tested dead; array stays live. Live tests: covers on, locks off by whoever hung them except the DC isolation for string tests, then re-locked.

Connections and heat

DC and AC terminations scanned then torqued
Terminations imaged under load, then powered down and torqued to the manufacturer's published values, string and combiner lugs included.
Heat sink and fans cleaned with the inverter isolated
Heat sink fins and fan housings brushed or vacuumed clear, fans turned by hand for bearing drag, and filters where fitted replaced per the maker's maintenance schedule.

Safety systems

Rapid-shutdown initiated and confirmed
Shutdown triggered and the array measured dropping to a safe voltage, module-level devices responding where fitted.
No photo
AC and DC disconnects operated
Each disconnect opened and closed through its full travel, labeling correct, contacts sound with no arcing signs.

Grounding and enclosure

String tests set up with the DC side isolated
DC disconnect held open and locked and surge devices lifted, tests run at the array-side terminals under the energized-work procedure, and arrays with module-level electronics tested per the maker.
No photo
Array string insulation resistance and open-circuit voltage measured
Each string measured with a PV-rated tester, insulation resistance compared across strings and Voc against the temperature-corrected commissioning baseline.
Equipment grounding and bonding verified
Ground and bonding connections tight and continuous from the inverter through combiners to the array frames.
Enclosure sealing and moisture control checked
Gaskets, vents and drains intact, any desiccant renewed where fitted, no water staining inside the enclosure.

Restart and settings

Covers fastened and inverter restarted in the maker's sequence
Tools out and covers fastened, each lock removed by whoever hung it, disconnects closed in the maker's start sequence, and the unit syncing to the grid and producing.
Arc-fault and ground-fault self-tests run where the maker provides
Self-test started from the inverter menu with the passing result shown and logged, a failed result reported to the owner the same day.
No photo
Grid settings and firmware read against the approved profile
Grid profile and trip settings matched to what the utility approved, firmware level noted against the maker's release, changes made only with the utility's agreement.
Annual results sent to the owner as the new baseline
Scan images, torque, insulation readings and settings compared with last year, open deficiencies listed, and the report sent to the owner to accept.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Rapid-shutdown assumed working because it was commissioned once, never re-initiated to confirm the array actually drops to a safe voltage.
DC connectors from different makers mated at a field repair, corroding and heating where the mismatched halves meet.

Verified against

NEC (NFPA 70)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this solar pv inverter annual checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering planning and isolation, connections and heat, safety systems, grounding and enclosure, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The PV service tech on the annual service, with an electrician for the de-energized work.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year, part energized for the thermal scan and part shut down for the connection and disconnect work.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a solar pv inverter annual inspection?: Rapid-shutdown assumed working because it was commissioned once, never re-initiated to confirm the array actually drops to a safe voltage. DC connectors from different makers mated at a field repair, corroding and heating where the mismatched halves meet.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Solar PV inverter QuarterlySolar PV inverter quarterly maintenance checklistStatus, event log, cooling and side-by-side production checked on the quarterly round15 items10 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 10 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.