Key points
- Almost every modern inverter comes with a free monitoring app. It’s the cheapest way to catch faults early.
- As a yardstick, a well-oriented system averages about 4.2–4.4 kWh per kW per day in Adelaide and 3.6–3.8 in Melbourne across a year. A 6.6kW system makes roughly 24–29 kWh a day.
- Compare sunny days with sunny days in the same month, not today with yesterday.
- Adding consumption monitoring (via a meter or your smart meter) shows where your power goes and helps you use more of your own solar.
Solar monitoring is the simplest way to know your system is doing its job. Your inverter’s app records how much power your panels make, when, and whether anything has gone wrong. Checking it for five minutes a month can spot a failed inverter, a tripped switch, a shaded string or a tariff problem months before you’d notice it on a power bill. This guide explains what to look at, which app your brand uses, and what normal output looks like in Adelaide and Melbourne.
What does solar monitoring show you?
The federal Solar Consumer Guide lists four things monitoring can tell you: how much electricity your system is generating, when your battery is charging and discharging, whether your system is working correctly or has a fault, and how and when you use electricity. Monitoring comes in layers:
- Inverter display. Shows live output, today’s total and fault messages. Useful, but usually only for the current day.
- Inverter or battery app. Stores history, shows daily, monthly and yearly generation, and can send fault alerts. This is what most people use.
- Consumption monitoring. A meter fitted in the switchboard (or data from your smart meter) adds household usage, imports and exports. It shows how much solar you use yourself, which is where most savings come from.
- Panel-level monitoring. Systems with microinverters or optimisers show each panel’s output, which makes a single failed panel easy to find.
The Solar Consumer Guide notes it’s cheaper to include monitoring when a system is installed, but devices can be added later. This article is part of our solar panel maintenance and performance guide.
Which solar monitoring app does my inverter use?
| Brand | Monitoring app or portal (as of 2026) |
|---|---|
| Fronius | Solar.web (app and web portal) |
| Sungrow | iSolarCloud |
| GoodWe | SEMS+ (successor to SEMS Portal) |
| Enphase | Enphase App (formerly Enlighten) |
| Tesla | Tesla app |
| SolaX | SolaX Cloud |
| Solis | SolisCloud |
| Growatt | ShinePhone |
| AlphaESS | AlphaESS app (AlphaCloud platform) |
| Sigenergy | mySigen |
| Sofar | SofarCloud, or SOLARMAN with some data loggers |
App names and features change, so check your installer’s handover documents. Registering your inverter on the manufacturer’s portal can also matter for warranty. Fronius and GoodWe, for example, tie their full 10-year residential inverter warranty to online registration.
How much should my solar system produce?
Generation varies a lot with season and weather, so use annual averages as a sense check, not a daily target. These ranges assume a well-oriented, unshaded system:
| System size | Adelaide (avg kWh/day) | Melbourne (avg kWh/day) |
|---|---|---|
| 6.6kW | 27.7–29.0 | 23.8–25.1 |
| 10kW | 42–44 | 36–38 |
| 13kW | 54.6–57.2 | 46.8–49.4 |
A clear summer day can produce two to three times as much as a clear mid-winter day, especially in Melbourne. East-west roofs produce a flatter, wider daily curve and a little less in total than north-facing ones. For a detailed breakdown by month, see how much power a 6.6kW system produces.
The Solar Consumer Guide suggests asking your installer how much daily generation to expect at different times of the year. Save that estimate. It’s your best benchmark.
Tip: Many Australian systems have more panel capacity than inverter capacity, for example 6.6kW of panels on a 5kW inverter. On clear middays the output graph will look flat at the inverter’s limit. That’s normal “clipping”, not a fault.
A five-minute monthly solar monitoring checklist
- Check the month’s total against the same month last year. A drop of more than about 10% without an obvious weather reason is worth a closer look.
- Pick two or three clear days and look at the daily curve. It should be a smooth hill (or a flat-topped hill if clipped).
- Look for zero days. Any day with no generation means the system was off.
- Read the alerts or event log. Note any repeated fault messages and their times.
- If you have a battery, check it’s charging during the day and discharging in the evening.
- Compare exports with your bill. Your retailer’s credited exports should roughly match your monitoring.
Warning signs to watch for in your solar data
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Zero all day, inverter screen blank | Tripped switch, AC supply off or inverter failure | Check the switchboard; see our troubleshooting guide |
| Zero in the app, but the inverter shows output | Wi-Fi dropout (new modem or password) | Reconnect the inverter to Wi-Fi |
| Jagged drop-outs around midday on sunny days | High grid voltage tripping the inverter | Ask your installer to check settings; report voltage over 258 V to your network |
| Sudden drop of about a third or half | One string of panels offline | Call a licensed electrician |
| Slow decline over months | Soiling, new shade or a derating inverter | Check for droppings and tree growth; book a service |
| Dip at the same time each morning or afternoon | New shading from a tree or building | Trim vegetation (using an arborist) |
| Battery not charging or discharging | Settings, firmware or battery fault | Contact your installer |
Our step-by-step guide to solar not working explains each cause and which checks are safe to do yourself. If droppings or dust are the issue, read when solar panels need cleaning. If your inverter keeps faulting, see when to replace a solar inverter. Never open the inverter or touch DC cables or isolators yourself.
Keep your monitoring connected
Monitoring only helps if it’s online. Common reasons it stops:
- a new modem or changed Wi-Fi password
- weak signal at the inverter, often in a garage or on an outside wall
- a failed Wi-Fi dongle (these often have shorter warranties than the inverter)
- an app or platform change by the manufacturer that needs a new login.
A Wi-Fi extender or a wired network connection usually fixes signal problems. Keep your login details with your system paperwork. In SA, newer systems also need an internet connection to meet Smarter Homes remote-disconnection rules, so a lasting dropout can be more than an inconvenience.
Use monitoring to save more, not just to find faults
Once you can see your household usage alongside your solar, you can shift loads into the middle of the day. Running the dishwasher, washing machine, pool pump, hot water or EV charging while the sun is up is usually worth far more than exporting at a low feed-in tariff. Our list of ways to use more of your own solar power has practical ideas. Some apps also let you enter your tariff and estimate savings.
If your monitoring shows your system can’t keep up with your usage, it may be time to look at a larger system such as a 10kW solar package.
Frequently asked questions
Do all solar systems come with monitoring?
Most modern inverters include basic monitoring through a display and a free app, connected over Wi-Fi or a network cable. Older systems may only have a small screen on the inverter. Consumption monitoring, which shows your household usage, usually needs an extra meter in the switchboard and is cheapest to add during installation.
How do I know if my solar panels are working properly?
Compare sunny-day output with your installer’s estimate and with the same month last year. As a rough guide, a well-oriented system averages about 4.2 to 4.4 kWh per kW per day in Adelaide and 3.6 to 3.8 in Melbourne across a year. A smooth daily curve with no fault alerts is a good sign.
Why does my solar app show zero?
Check the inverter screen first. If it shows the system generating, your app has probably lost its internet connection, often after a modem or Wi-Fi password change. If the screen is blank or shows a fault, check the solar main switch at your switchboard and follow our troubleshooting steps or call a licensed electrician.
Can I add monitoring to an older solar system?
Usually, yes. Many older inverters can be connected with a Wi-Fi card or data logger, and third-party energy monitors can be fitted in the switchboard to track solar and household usage. A licensed electrician must install any device inside the switchboard. If your inverter is near the end of its life, a replacement may be better value.
Not sure what your monitoring is telling you? Our team in Melbourne and Adelaide can check your system and its monitoring as part of a service, and explain what your data is telling you. Read our Melbourne solar guide or contact us for a monitoring check.
Sources: energy.gov.au Solar Consumer Guide – Monitor your solar system (accessed Oct 2026); energy.gov.au – Solar panels (accessed Oct 2026); SA Power Networks – Solar inverter settings (accessed Oct 2026); SolarQuotes – The best solar monitoring apps in Australia (Dec 2025). Output ranges are indicative annual averages for well-oriented systems. Featured image: RickyCourtney / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
