Each year solar technical advisory and inspection servicer HelioVolta releases a report on solar performance and safety called the SolarGrade PV Health Report. Now in its fourth edition, the 2026 report benchmarks the quality of solar assets with field data from nearly 8 GW of PV assets across more than 1,500 projects inspected in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The assessed projects vary widely in size, with an average system size of 5.6 MW and a median system size of 0.5 MW. By project type, rooftop systems make up 83% of all inspected assets, followed by tracker systems at 10%, ground-mounted systems at 4%, and canopy systems at 3%. However, tracker systems represent 89% of the total inspected capacity.

HelioVolta found significant quality issues across the board that directly impact system safety and financial yield. A staggering 87% of inspected projects contained major issues requiring urgent corrective action, while 8% contained critical issues requiring immediate de-energization.

“Quality issues can increase levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by >20%,” said the report, noting that the lowest-quality (F-rated) systems underperform by an estimated 6% over their lifetimes and face 3x higher unplanned corrective maintenance costs compared to highest-quality (A-rated) systems.

Risk profiles varied significantly depending on the system type. Tracker systems had the highest rate of critical issues of any system type at 18%, alongside a 95% major issue rate, largely because constant mechanical stress on moving parts rapidly exacerbates installation defects and drives distribution failures like connector and wire management issues.

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