What a good solar site survey should capture

A good solar site survey creates a reliable design starting point. It does not need to answer every engineering question on the first visit, but it should make clear what was observed, what was measured, what evidence supports it, and what still needs specialist review.

The exact checklist depends on the project type, local requirements, and the people responsible for structural and electrical decisions. Use this framework as an operating baseline, then adapt it with your qualified professionals and applicable authorities.

Confirm the site and project context

Start with basic facts that are surprisingly easy to lose during a handoff:

• site address and location coordinates;
• customer and site-contact details;
• residential, commercial, industrial, or other project type;
• electricity service and the project objective;
• intended roof, ground, carport, or other mounting area;
• survey date, surveyor, and weather or access limitations;
• areas that could not be inspected.

Record the source of each important fact. A customer statement, a utility bill, a site observation, and a measured value carry different kinds of evidence.

Capture the mounting area

For each usable surface, record its shape, dimensions, orientation, slope, material, condition, and visible constraints. Identify ridges, hips, valleys, parapets, roof edges, drainage paths, skylights, tanks, vents, antennas, access hatches, and other obstructions.

Photographs should show context before detail. Begin with wide views that establish the roof face and surroundings, then take closer photographs of measurements, surfaces, fixings, defects, and obstructions. Label the evidence so a designer can tell which area it supports.

Do not turn a visual roof observation into a structural conclusion. Load capacity, fixing design, waterproofing, wind actions, and structural suitability require the appropriate competent review.

Document electrical conditions

The survey record should help an electrical designer understand the existing installation without assuming that a photograph replaces verification. Depending on the project, useful inputs can include:

• service type and available phases;
• meter and main distribution-board locations;
• visible ratings and equipment labels;
• available space and access around equipment;
• potential inverter and isolation locations;
• possible AC and DC cable routes;
• earthing and lightning-protection context;
• known generator, storage, or other embedded systems;
• photographs of labels and surrounding installation conditions.

Treat equipment labels as evidence, not as proof that the entire installation is suitable. Final electrical design and connection requirements remain subject to applicable codes, manufacturers, utilities, and qualified review.

Observe shading and the surrounding site

Record nearby trees, buildings, poles, tanks, roof features, terrain, and other objects that may affect irradiance or access. Note whether vegetation is likely to change and whether a single visit represents the full seasonal condition.

Satellite imagery can help teams prepare, but imagery date, resolution, perspective, and hidden roof detail limit what it can establish. Keep provider imagery, field observations, measurements, and modelled shading clearly distinguished.

Plan safe access and installation logistics

A survey should identify constraints that affect later work: safe roof access, fall risks, fragile surfaces, restricted areas, material movement, lifting, storage, working hours, public access, and emergency arrangements.

The survey is not a substitute for a task-specific risk assessment or safe-work method. If a condition cannot be inspected safely, record the limitation and plan a qualified follow-up instead of inventing an answer.

Record evidence in a reviewable form

A useful evidence set answers four questions:

1. What does this file or measurement show?
2. Where on the site does it apply?
3. Who captured it, and when?
4. What decision can it support, and what can it not support?

Use consistent names or structured fields rather than an unlabelled camera roll. Keep original evidence available when annotations or compressed copies are produced.

Finish with gaps and readiness

Before handing the survey to design, list unresolved items explicitly. Examples include an inaccessible switchboard, missing structural information, uncertain boundary, unreadable label, customer decision, or utility requirement.

Then assign a readiness state: ready for preliminary design, ready with stated assumptions, or blocked pending follow-up. This prevents missing information from quietly becoming a design assumption.

India’s solar-skills framework includes a dedicated rooftop PV site-surveyor occupational standard, and government procurement documents use detailed survey and feasibility formats. Those sources reinforce the basic point: survey quality is a professional workflow, not only a photo collection. See the Skill Council for Green Jobs site surveyor standard and adapt requirements to the current project and jurisdiction.

PVspark keeps structured survey details and supporting evidence with the project that uses them. Each team should still define its own approved checklist and review boundaries.