Solar panel installation

A solar system turns sunlight into electricity. It is made of solar panels, an inverter and the wiring that connects them. The panels take in sunlight and produce direct current (DC); the inverter converts it to alternating current (AC), which powers your home together with electricity from the utility meter.

This is called an on-grid system. It is very popular for homes and factories because it uses solar power during the day and switches to the utility supply at night.

A rooftop solar installation needs careful planning. The roof's strength, size and direction should be assessed so the panels produce as much power as possible. Choosing the right panels and inverter matters too, and most important of all is choosing a professional, trustworthy installer such as WERWIND Energy.

Certified WERWIND Energy engineers spend about 1–3 hours surveying the site. They start with drone photos to see the roof type, anything that makes the roof hard to reach and which way the panel area faces, and assess whether the roof structure can carry the panels.

Next they check where the inverter and the AC/DC cabinet will connect to the house wiring and how the cables will run, then agree with you on placements that look right and let the system work at its best.

After the survey, the data goes to WERWIND Energy's solar engineers, who design the system with internationally certified software. They calculate the roof's load and strength and the mounting direction that produces the most power.

In Thailand the best direction is south: the sun rises in the east, sets in the west and arcs to the south during the day, so a south-facing roof gets the most light. The team also picks certified mounting hardware that suits your roof. Design takes 1–2 days before installation starts.

Installation starts with scaffolding or a ladder to the roof. Every WERWIND Energy installer is trained for working at height and wears protective equipment such as a full-body harness before fitting the panel mounts to the roof as designed.

With a string inverter, the panels are linked with standard MC4 connectors and the cables run in conduit down to the inverter inside. With microinverters, a microinverter is fitted under each panel on the roof and the panels connect to it directly.

The inverter converts the panels' direct current (DC) into the 220 V alternating current (AC) used at home, and connects to the utility supply through an AC/DC combiner box installed next to it. The box contains breakers and earthing to protect against short circuits.

The last step before you start using the system is commissioning: testing and configuring it in the inverter's app. Huawei inverters use the FusionSolar app, which shows production in real time, both what the panels generate and what your appliances use, and raises an alarm when something is wrong so it can be fixed straight away.

Rooftop solar is easier and cheaper to maintain than most people think. Clean the panels at least once a year, because dust, dirt and leaves reduce production. A clean cloth and a hose are enough; avoid harsh chemicals that can damage the panel surface.

Have an engineer check the wiring and connections from time to time, since worn wiring can be dangerous or make the system misbehave. WERWIND Energy covers this care for 2 years, including fault checks by its engineers. The cleaning and inspection routine is:

1. Check the panels for cracks (visually or by photo); replacements fall under the manufacturer's warranty.
2. Check the whole panel structure (visually or by photo), including the mounts.
3. Check that no cable sags or hangs loose (visually or by photo), and route cables correctly.
4. Check that terminals are tight (by touch) to prevent arcing.
5. Check the inverter and other electrical equipment with a multimeter, and clean them.
6. Check protective devices, breakers and fuses with a multimeter, and clean them.
7. Check the mounting bolts and tighten them to the standard 13–15 N·m.
8. Check the weather sensors, monitoring and control systems, and clean them.
9. Test the earthing with an earth tester to prevent over-voltage damage.
10. Scan panels and equipment with a thermal camera to measure their temperature.
11. Run an I-V curve test to find the cause when production drops.