Solar industry guidance

Solar installers installing a solar panel to the roof

Use this guidance to help keep workers and customers safe and put industry leading standards into practice.

This guidance complements information in our Notice to Market.

Use this guidance and our Solar PV Audit Checklists, Battery Audit Checklist and Hot Water Audit Checklist to ensure installations under our program are compliant and meet the high standards we have set.

Legislation and regulations

Commonly identified legislation and regulations within the solar industry include:

A full list of legislation and regulations related to the solar industry is listed on the Energy Safe Victoria and WorkSafe Victoria websites.

Compliance codes and codes of practice also play an important role. They explain your duties or obligations under legislation in practical ways that are aimed to help you comply.

See WorkSafe compliance codes and codes of practice and ESV electrical technical guidelines and determinations.

Australian Standards

Solar Homes installers must adhere to current and relevant standards for the design and installation of solar and battery storage systems.

These are made mandatory through:

  • legislation and/or regulations; and/or
  • normative reference from a mandated standard (commonly AS/NZS 3000 – Wiring Rules); and
  • are required by the Solar Victoria Notice to Market

Penalties for failing to meet Australian Standards vary. We may suspend or cancel an installer or retailer from its programs for non-compliance.

Commonly identified AS/NZS Standards within the solar industry include, but are not limited to:

AS/NZS 1170 SeriesStructural Design Actions(All parts)
AS 1768Lightning Protection
AS/NZS 3000Electrical Installations (known as Wiring Rules)
AS/NZS 4509 Series

Stand-alone power systems

  • Part 1: Safety and installation
  • Part 2: System design
AS/NZS 4777 Series

Grid Connections of Energy Systems via Inverters

  • Part 1: Installation Requirements
  • Part 2: Inverter Requirements
AS/NZS 5033Installation of photovoltaic (PV) arrays
AS/NZS 5139Electrical installations – Safety of battery systems for use with power conversion equipment

Guidance

Industry guidance informs retailers and installers of leading practice. It may be voluntary in nature or made mandatory through the Solar Victoria Notice to Market.

Energy Safe Victoria, WorkSafe Victoria and Solar Victoria develop guidance to inform installers and retailers of non-compliances found within installations.

The following guidance is available on the Energy Safe Victoria website:

  • How to ensure you have a compliant PV installation.
  • Working safely when installing photovoltaic (PV) systems.
  • Identifying mismatched d.c. connectors in PV installations
  • Grid connected inverter requirements from 18 December 2021.

Also see:

Technical solution and guidance sheets

Series 1: Working safely at height

Use this series developed in collaboration with WorkSafe Victoria to plan safe systems of work while installing photovoltaic systems.

Risks increase when you are working at height, and particularly on multi-level buildings eligible through our Solar for Apartments Program. Different equipment may be used to control risk in these scenarios.

To ensure you eliminate the risk of working at height with appropriate controls in every scenario, please follow the guidance below alongside information on the WorkSafe Victoria website.

Series 5: Managing electrical risk

Use this series developed in collaboration with Energy Safe Victoria and TechSafe Australia to plan safe ways of working with electrical risk while installing solar systems.

How to manage end-of-life solar PV

Installers and retailers in our program are required to responsibly manage solar PV and comply with the Victorian Government’s ban on e-waste entering landfill.

Read about what e-waste is, what your obligations are and what you can do.

Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council provides resources and publications about electrical products, installations and solar/small scale generation resources.

WorkSafe Victoria provides guidance and assistance to ensure all employers and employees have a safe workplace in the electrical and solar industry. See Electrical and Roofing guidance.

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