- Carelessly executed electrical installations are a bit of a ticking bomb. And because the market is growing so fast, it is important that this is tightened up quickly, says Peter Kovacs, project manager and research engineer at Rise.

In 2019, 19,000 new solar plants were installed, which is almost double the number of plants. And most of last year's installed effect comes from smaller plants, for example on residential roofs.

Therefore, the Swedish Energy Agency commissioned the state-owned research institute Rise to inspect photovoltaic systems throughout the country.

Several shortcomings - some serious

The survey of 41 private facilities showed that some problems were recurring. 

- Virtually every facility we looked at left something to be desired, says Peter Kovacs to SVT's consumer editorial Plus.

The most serious deficiencies found were cables that lay loose on the roof under the modules, instead of being fixed. If the cables can move over, for example, a brick boiler for many years, the insulation can be worn away, which in the worst case can lead to fire and other accidents.

The survey also showed other types of problems, such as complicated quotes, underperformance of the quotation, damage to the house in connection with the installation and underestimation of shadows on the solar panels.

Calls for certification requirements

Many of the problems that Kovacs and his team discovered could be countered by certification requirements. Today, you can become a certified solar cell installer, but there are no rules that say that the installer must be certified.

- Private individuals are still very much handed over to those installing solar panels. It's good if consumers demand certification, says Peter Kovacs.

Here you can follow the Plus editorial review of solar systems - and tip the editor!