9diagnostic services, each with a clear process
5steps from enquiry to analysis report
1engineer-led team, headed by Mr. Ramchander
Pan-Indiareach, through engineers and a technician network
Solar plant diagnostics · pan-India
Your solar plant should pay you back. Is it?
When generation slips and the maintenance report still says “all fine”, Retron Solar Diagnostics tests the plant, finds the cause and shows you the evidence. Led by Mr. Ramchander.
IV curveThermographyEL imagingInvertersLIE
1The promise
You built a solar plant. On paper, it was a good decision.
A design report predicted the energy. A financing model counted the returns. Commissioning day ended with handshakes and a green light on the inverter.
- Expected generation was calculated before the first panel went up
- Loan repayments, power purchase agreements or savings depend on that number
- Everyone left the site believing the plant would perform for 25 years
2The slip
Then generation starts to slip, quietly.
Nothing breaks. No alarm sounds. The units just come in a little lower, month after month, and nobody can say exactly why.
- Dust and bird droppings build up faster than the cleaning cycle
- A new tree, wall or tank throws a shadow on one string
- Cells crack, solder joints weaken, connectors loosen
- One inverter trips in the afternoon heat
- Modules age faster than the warranty curve says they should
In a CSTEP simulation of a 1 MWp plant in Mumbai, annual soiling loss was 6.01% with monthly cleaning and 0.40% with daily cleaning. Cleaning routine alone moves the number.
Simulation, not a field survey. Source
Simulation, not a field survey. Source
3The disconnect
Maintenance says “all OK”. Your income says otherwise.
The monthly report shows cleaning done, plant available, security round complete. It rarely shows what each string, module and inverter is actually delivering.
- Reports often track tasks and uptime. They may not measure output per string.
- Many maintenance teams do not carry IV tracers, EL cameras or thermal drones.
- Trained technicians are hard to find and harder to keep. Spares and service can take time, and some inverter makers have exited the market.
- Remote sites, water scarcity and theft make upkeep harder still
The last two points reflect challenges listed by Renewable Watch in July 2019. The first two are typical patterns, not figures. Sources
4You are not alone
The problems solar plant owners tell us about.
Which one sounds like your plant? Each one has a test that can explain it.
📉
Generation is below what was promised
Monthly units are lower than the design estimate and lower than similar plants nearby.
🌫️
Dust and bird droppings keep coming back
Output swings with the cleaning calendar.
🔥
Hotspots and burnt cells
Discoloured cells or modules that run much hotter than neighbours.
🧩
Cracks you cannot see
Output loss with nothing visible on the glass.
⚡
Inverter trips and derating
Alarms in the afternoon, one inverter producing less than its twins.
🔋
Faster ageing than the warranty curve
Power falls year after year faster than expected.
🔌
Strings that do not match
Some strings carry noticeably less current.
🛡️
Earth faults and insulation alarms
Inverters stop with ground-fault warnings, especially after rain.
🧾
Maintenance reports say everything is fine
Reports show uptime and cleaning but not what each string delivers.
5The answer
Retron Solar Diagnostics finds the cause, and shows you the evidence.
We measure the plant the way a doctor examines a patient: instruments first, opinions second. Every finding comes with the reading, the image or the log behind it.
Led by Mr. Ramchander Nirudi
Director – Technical at EV Retron Energies, Associate Professor at BVRIT, and 15+ years in solar PV design, audits and research. Every report is reviewed by his team before it reaches you.
See his portfolio →
Send an enquiry
Tell us about the plant and the problem, by form, call or message.
We prepare the checklist
Our engineers prepare a site-specific due diligence checklist from your enquiry.
Technician visits
A trained technician from our network visits with the instruments and the checklist.
Engineers review
Mr. Ramchander's team reviews the readings, images and logs in detail.
Detailed analysis report
You receive a report with measured findings, causes, ranked actions and next steps.
Services
Nine ways to look inside your plant.
Pick the service that fits your problem. Each page explains the process, the benefits and what you can expect to receive.
IV curve tracing
Measure what each string and module can really deliver.
See the process and outcomes →
Thermography
See heat problems from the ground or from the air.
See the process and outcomes →
Electroluminescence (EL) imaging
Look inside cells for cracks and bad solder joints.
See the process and outcomes →
Insulation and earthing tests
Check the plant is safe, and leaking no energy to ground.
See the process and outcomes →
Inverter diagnostics
Find the weak inverter before it costs another season.
See the process and outcomes →
Performance and loss analysis
Turn monitoring data into a clear loss tree.
See the process and outcomes →Evidence
What testing has found elsewhere.
Our own case studies will lead this section. Until then, here are industry references, credited and summarised in our own words.
Industry referenceEL imaging · 56 MW
Night-time EL testing leads to a warranty claim on 5,000+ modules
Clean Energy Associates (CEA)
Read the case →Industry referenceEL and thermography · 21 MW
Broken modules still connected to strings at a Rajasthan plant
Saur Energy article on solar diagnostics
Read the case →Industry referenceInverter analysis · 5.75 MWp
Two weak inverters found by tracking daily efficiency
Saur Energy article on solar diagnostics
Read the case →Sources for the figures on this page
CSTEP, “PV Reliability” techno-economic simulation study, April 2018 (simulated 1 MWp plant, not a field survey) · Renewable Watch, “Optimising solar”, July 2019 · Renewable Watch, “Soiling analysis”, December 2018.
We have not independently verified these sources. Findings on this site are possibilities until a site inspection confirms them.
Is your plant giving you what it promised?
Tell us about it. We will prepare a checklist and a plan.