50% of Solar Systems Have Problems – Inside the Real O&M Challenges – EP43

The Dirty Secret of “Maintenance-Free” Solar – And How to Fix It Before It Costs You Thousands

If you think your solar system is quietly working away, saving you money every day… think again. Across Australia, councils, schools, businesses, and commercial property owners are discovering a costly truth: up to 50% of solar systems are underperforming, and many are completely offline without anyone noticing.

The culprit? The outdated “set and forget” mindset.

The solution? Proactive, AI-powered solar monitoring that spots problems early, saves you thousands, and keeps your clean energy investment humming.

The Harsh Reality: Most Solar Owners Don’t Know When They’re Losing Money

Chris Martell, head of GSES and co-creator of Diagno, has inspected more than 20,000 solar installations over the past decade. His verdict is blunt:

“Half the systems we onboard have faults, and 15% have serious issues like zero generation or earth faults. Many have been broken for months — sometimes years — and nobody knew.”

That means lost energy, higher bills, and a crippled return on investment.

Why Standard Solar Monitoring Fails

Traditional inverter monitoring can be misleading. If your system was installed with a fault — say one string never worked — your monitoring software may see its “normal” (but low) output as fine.

Chris explains:

  • Inverter data is often misread or ignored – Asset managers have multiple logins for different sites and brands.

  • Staff changeovers kill oversight – When the person who understands the system leaves, monitoring stops.

  • No alerts = no action – Many inverters don’t actively flag critical issues to owners.

chris martell

Enter Diagno: Your Solar System’s Personal Referee

Think of Diagno as your independent referee — not your installer, not your EPC, but a neutral watchdog that:

  • Connects to any inverter brand via API (no site visits needed for setup)

  • Uses machine learning to detect real faults from day one

  • Translates complex data into plain English alerts

  • Flags’ performance drops before they cost you money

  • Integrates with a national network of vetted solar technicians for fast fixes

And it’s affordable: from just $180/year per device for the Pro version. That’s pocket change compared to the tens of thousands you could lose in downtime.

Case Study: Council Portfolio Shock

One council with 50 solar assets thought everything was fine. They had staff checking multiple inverter platforms weekly. After a free Diagno trial, the truth came out:

  • 50% of systems had faults

  • Several had been completely offline for months

  • The lost generation from just one large system could have paid for 20 years of Diagno monitoring

markus lambert on the podcast

The Business Case is Bulletproof

For most councils, supermarkets, and commercial property owners:

  • Annual solar generation value: Often $20k+ for a 100 kW system

  • Portfolio value: Millions in avoided grid costs

  • Typical losses from undetected faults: 5–15% (tens of thousands/year)

With numbers like these, one fault caught early can pay for Diagno for decades.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Australia’s push for net zero by 2050 means more solar and batteries on rooftops than ever before. But without proactive O&M (Operations and Maintenance), the clean energy transition will be held back by hidden faults and wasted assets.

Whether you’re a local government procurement officer, a facilities manager, or a commercial property owner, the question isn’t whether you can afford Diagno. It’s whether you can afford to keep guessing.

Try It Free – Discover What Your Solar Is Really Doing

GSES are offering a free 3-month Diagno trial for qualified portfolios. No hardware installation. No disruption. Just instant insight into how much money you might be losing right now.

Find out if your solar is really working for you — before it’s too late.

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