Reference
The equipment on California roofs, and what we establish about it
Residential solar in California spans about two decades of hardware — some of it current, plenty of it from makers who have since been acquired, restructured or left the market. This page sets out what we identify, document and evaluate for each class of equipment, and which makers and platforms turn up.
Inverters and microinverters
The inverter is where a solar system keeps its records. It is the single most informative component on the property and the one a general home inspection does not open.
- What we identify
- Architecture — string, string with module-level electronics, or microinverters — plus make, model and, where legible, serial.
- What we document
- Data-label information, the wiring compartment and disconnects where safely accessible, and rapid-shutdown equipment and labelling.
- What we evaluate
- Whether it was producing at the time of inspection, measured AC and DC values, the recorded fault and event history, and firmware version and update status.
Commonly encountered
- Enphase
- SolarEdge
- SMA
- Fronius
- SunPower
- Tesla
- Generac
- Delta
- Sol-Ark
- APsystems
Older and discontinued
- ABB / Power-One (Aurora)
- Chilicon Power
- Schneider Electric / Xantrex
- OutBack Power
- KACO
- Enphase M-series
Modules and the array
Modules are the part everyone can see and the part that reveals least on its own. A roof full of immaculate panels says nothing about whether the system works.
- What we identify
- Manufacturer and model where determinable from labels, documentation or the monitoring platform, and the module count.
- What we document
- Condition at the array, orientation and tilt, conductor routing and how wiring is secured, and mounting and roof penetrations where visible.
- What we evaluate
- Observable condition and shading context, and whether what is on the roof matches what the paperwork and monitoring say is there.
Commonly encountered
- SunPower
- Maxeon
- Qcells
- REC
- Panasonic
- Canadian Solar
- Silfab
- Jinko
- Trina
- LONGi
- JA Solar
- Mission Solar
- Solaria
- Aptos
Older and discontinued
- LG
- SolarWorld
- Kyocera
- Sharp
- Sanyo
- Suniva
- Yingli
- BP Solar
- Evergreen Solar
Batteries and storage
Storage changes two things in a sale: what the system does in an outage, and who owns the hardware. Those are different questions and they are answered by different documents.
- What we identify
- Manufacturer, model and nominal capacity, the number of units, and how the battery is coupled to the array.
- What we document
- Installed location and condition, the backup configuration — whole-home or selected circuits — and associated disconnects and labelling.
- What we evaluate
- Readiness at the time of inspection, what the system reports about the battery, and what we can establish about ownership, since a leased or financed battery does not simply convey.
Commonly encountered
- Tesla Powerwall
- Enphase IQ Battery
- FranklinWH
- Generac PWRcell
- LG Energy Solution (RESU)
- SolarEdge Energy Bank
- SunPower SunVault
- sonnen
- Panasonic EverVolt
Optimizers and module-level electronics
Module-level electronics are why a modern system can tell you which panel stopped — and why an older one often cannot.
- What we identify
- Whether module-level electronics are present at all, and of what kind: optimizers, microinverters or integrated electronics.
- What we document
- Reported per-module or per-unit status, and any units the platform shows as not reporting.
- What we evaluate
- Whether the layout map matches the physical array — because a map that is wrong sends the next technician to the wrong panel.
Commonly encountered
- SolarEdge power optimizers
- Enphase microinverters
- Tigo TS4
- APsystems
- SunPower AC modules
Monitoring platforms
Monitoring belongs to whoever made the inverter or the battery, which means transferring it is a different process for every system — and it is almost always left until after closing, when it is hardest to fix.
- What we identify
- Which platform the system reports to, and how it connects — cellular, Wi-Fi or wired.
- What we document
- Whether the system is currently reporting, what the recent production record shows where it is available to us, and who the account appears to be registered to.
- What we evaluate
- What transferring access will involve, and whether the monitoring picture agrees with what the equipment itself reports.
Commonly encountered
- Enphase Enlighten
- SolarEdge Monitoring
- SunPower Monitoring
- Tesla app
- Tigo Energy Intelligence
- SMA Sunny Portal
- Fronius Solar.web
- Generac PWRview
- FranklinWH app
- APsystems EMA
Systems whose makers have moved on
Riverside County alone has more than 184,000 residential solar systems, and roughly a quarter of them are on the oldest net-metering programme — which means hardware installed a decade or more ago.
A good part of what we inspect was made by companies that have since been acquired, restructured, or stopped making solar equipment. That is not a defect. A well-installed system from 2012 can be in better condition than a careless one from last year.
What it changes is the transaction question rather than the engineering one: who, if anyone, still stands behind the warranty; whether parts and firmware are still available; and who a buyer would actually call. Those are answerable, and they are answered far more cheaply before closing than after. We establish the position rather than assume it.
Common questions
Do you need to know the brand before booking an inspection?
No. Identifying the equipment is part of the inspection, not a prerequisite for it. Nobody should have to understand their solar system in order to hire someone to look at it — if you know the make, it helps us prepare; if you don't, we establish it on site.
What if the manufacturer no longer exists?
It changes the answer to a transaction question rather than an engineering one. The system can be in good condition and still have no warranty behind it, and those are separate findings. We record what the equipment is, what condition it is in, and what we can establish about who supports it — so the buyer is deciding with that in front of them rather than after closing.
Is monitoring access included in what you check?
We identify the platform, establish whether the system is still reporting, and record what we can about who holds the account and what a transfer involves. We do not take over anyone's account, and access to a seller's portal is theirs to grant.
Does inspecting a brand mean you are certified by it?
No. Naming a manufacturer here describes equipment we may encounter. No manufacturer certifies, authorizes, endorses or is affiliated with solarIQ360, and we make no such claim anywhere on this site.
Keep reading
Working a weekend transaction? So are we
The office is open Monday–Friday 9am–6pm, but inspections run on weekends and requests are open around the clock. We'll call to confirm the date and time.
Requesting an inspection isn't a confirmed appointment — we'll contact you to confirm timing.