‘Cowboys’ dog solar panel industry

Rogue operators will never be entirely eliminated from the solar panel installation industry, says a leading industry group.

Solar Energy Industries Association manager Diana Pook: “The reality is that some compan­ies will just employ installers at the cheapest price and as a result you get the cheapest installation.”

Rogue operators, or “cowboys”, will never be eliminated from the solar panel installation industry despite the efforts of regulators, says a leading industry group.

Almost 4100 registered solar installation companies in Aust­ralia are expected to generate $1.4 billion in revenue this financial year and Solar Energy Industries Association manager Diana Pook said while most conducted their business in a safe, ethical manner, a rogue element would ­always exist.

“Safety comes first and foremost for all our members and the majority of installers do use ­quality products, but I don’t think you can ever eliminate the cowboys completely,” Ms Pook said.

“The reality is that some compan­ies will just employ or sub­contract installers at the cheapest price and as a result you get the cheapest installation.

“It is a concern to all of us and that’s why we are continuously trying to make the consumer aware of what is happening.”

Ms Pook’s comments come after The Australian revealed yesterday that federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor wrote to his state counterparts to warn that lives could be at risk because of unsafe or substandard solar panel installations. “We can’t let the cowboys ruin it for everyone else,” he said.

State and territory governments have responsibility for installati­on compliance, while solar subsidies are administered by the federal government under the small-scale renewable energy scheme, part of the renewable ­energy target.

A national audit found between 21 and 26 per cent of small-scale rooftop solar install­ations inspected every year since 2011 had been found to have faulty wiring and unsecured panels.

The report said 80 per cent of “unsafe” installations were becaus­e of water getting into direc­t-current isolator enclosures on rooftops, which created an electric­al safety risk.

Thirty-five licensed installa­tion contractors have been warned that they face suspension.

An IBISWorld report in Aug­ust found the number of solar installation companies nat­ionally had increased from 1090 in 2010 to 4081 now. Revenue rose from $343 million to $1.4bn in that time.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: DAVID KING