HelioVolta Report Links Poor Quality to Higher Solar Costs
News related to:HelioVolta · 1 min read
CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 6, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- HelioVolta, an independent provider of field inspections and technical services for solar and energy storage projects, has released its fourth annual SolarGrade PV Health Report, highlighting the significant impact of poor project quality on the lifetime costs of solar energy systems.
The report, which analyzed nearly 8 gigawatts (GW) of solar assets across the United States and Puerto Rico, found that quality issues can increase the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by more than 20%. This increase is driven by lost production and higher operational costs. According to the findings, the lowest-quality systems underperform by an estimated 6% over their lifetimes and require up to three times more unplanned maintenance than the highest-quality systems.
The report uses a proprietary rubric called the HelioVolta Quality Standard (HQS), which assigns a score to each project based on the number, severity, and remediation status of quality issues. The scores translate to an A, F letter grade, directly correlating with the lifetime energy costs of the solar systems.
This year's report also introduced the inaugural HelioVolta Quality Standard Awards, recognizing the two highest-scoring projects under 5 megawatts (MW) direct current (DC) inspected in 2025. The first award went to a 1.15 MWDC ground mount array for a California homeowners association, developed and owned by Onyx Renewables and built by Helix Electric. The second award was given to a 760 kWDC rooftop array for a Fortune 100 retailer, developed and owned by Greenskies Clean Energy and built by Opulent Power Solutions.
The report also highlighted quality trends by PV system type. Canopy systems, which represent just 3% of all systems inspected by HelioVolta, have the lowest issue rates. HelioVolta has never found a critical issue in a canopy system, and just 59% contained major issues.
The full report, including profiles of the award-winning projects, can be accessed at www.heliovolta.com/resources/pv-health-report-2026.