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Inspections

The Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER) is required under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 to conduct inspections on small-scale solar panel, wind and hydro installations that have had small-scale technology certificates (STCs) created against them in the REC Registry. The inspections are to ensure that selected installations meet the legislated requirements for the creation of STCs. These include:

applicable Australian standards and industry guidelines as in force at the time the unit was installed.
State/Territory and local government requirements.

The inspections assist:

ORER in identifying systems that have certificates improperly created against them.
State and Territory regulatory bodies responsible for electrical and building safety in identifying systems that do not meet State/Territory and local government requirements.
The Clean Energy Council in identifying installers that have breached the Clean Energy Council accreditation guidelines.

Selection of installations for ORER inspection

It is necessary for ORER to select installations at random, at least initially, to develop an informed view on the level of compliance with the installation requirements. The results of the random inspections will also be used as intelligence to better target non-compliant installations in the longer term. The ORER does not conduct inspections on request.

Cost of inspections

The ORER inspections incur no charge to the owner of the system.

Roles and responsibilities

ORER can only inspect systems according to the requirements of the Act and Regulations. ORER is responsible for:

Ensuring each year a statistically significant selection of small generation units that are installed in that year are inspected.
Appointing inspectors according to Regulation 33.
Providing a copy of the final inspection reports to specified persons under the Regulations including the owner, occupier, agent, system designer/ installer, the Clean Energy Council and the relevant State or Territory regulators responsible for electrical and building safety. Note that the Regulations define the primary content of the inspection reports. The Renewable Energy Regulator can also require additional information to be inserted in the report.
Taking appropriate compliance and enforcement action if certificates were improperly created against the systems.

The appointed inspector is responsible for:

Conducting an inspection in order to determine if the requirements of Regulation 39 have been satisfied.
Obtaining informed consent from the owner of the system and occupier of the premises prior to conducting an inspection.
Dealing with imminent safety risks, including immediate notification of all interested parties of the extent and nature of the safety risk including the relevant State or Territory Regulator for electrical and building safety, the occupier, the Renewable Energy Regulator and relevant distribution networks.
Preparing a written inspection report.
Providing to the person who created the certificates and the installer a reasonable opportunity to comment on findings the draft report if the report lists items for improvement.
Providing recommendations as to the steps that should be taken to rectify any problems discovered during the inspection and, in particular, how to ensure that any safety or operational problems discovered can be rectified.
Providing the final inspection report to ORER.

State and Territory Government regulators are responsible for:

Administration or enforcement of safety standards for electrical work and for matters relating to the design and construction of buildings and structures.
Regulating consumer protection.

ORER inspectors

The ORER inspections must be carried out by a person or organisation who is independent of the designer/installer of the system and does not have a conflict of interest in relation to the small-scale solar panel, wind and/or hydro system being inspected or administration of the matters being inspected.

In accordance with Regulation 33 of the Regulations, the Regulator may, in writing, appoint a person to be an inspector if satisfied that the person:

is of sufficient maturity, and has had sufficient training, to properly exercise the powers of an inspector;
holds an unrestricted licence for electrical work under the laws of a State or Territory;
has sufficient expertise in matters arising under the Act and Regulations in order to critically examine the requirements in Regulation 39 and to prepare a report under Regulation 42; and
is of good repute, having regard to the person’s character, honesty and integrity.

In conducting an inspection, the inspector:

Must request consent to conduct an inspection of the solar panel installation on the property.
Must leave the premises if the occupier asks the inspector to do so.
Must explain the purpose and scope of the inspection to the occupier or their representative.
Must produce their identity card to the occupier or representative prior to commencing the inspection.
Must comply with any requirements or conditions of their electrical licence
Must comply with the law of the State or Territory where the installation is located.
May examine and test the system and any wiring or equipment associated with the installation.
May take photographs of anything relevant to the installation.
May make a video recording of the inspection.
May access the roof to conduct the inspection.
May ask questions related to the design or installation of the system and the creation of certificates.

Inspections Results

Under Regulation 32, each year the Regulator must publish on the Regulator’s website the number of inspections conducted during the year.

Inspections update No.1

ORER has released an initial summary of the data contained in inspection reports received by ORER up to and including 23 September 2011.

The Inspections Update No.1 is not a summary of the total inspections completed by 23 September 2011.

Visit - Inspections Update No.1

Inspections update No.2

This update contains a summary of the data contained in inspection reports received by ORER up to and including 31 January 2012.

It is not a summary of all inspections completed by 31 January 2012.

Visit - Inspections Update No.2

Last updated Monday, 13 February 2012 9:33:15 AM