How to ensure your photovoltaic installation?

Congratulations! You have finally completed the work and your photovoltaic installation is in place! After all the efforts, it is crucial that you ensure your property. How can you do that and which insurances are compulsory?

Compulsory insurance

If you intend to resell your electricity to your network manager and your installation is therefore destined to be connected, third-party liability insurance is mandatory. Please note that ErDF will ask you for a proof of this when you connect. Indeed, we consider that by connecting your installation to a public distribution network, there is a chance that you will endanger other players if this installation suffers from a malfunction. The main risk identified by the network manager is the electrification of a person if the decoupling protection of the inverter does not work. However, this incident is one of the unlikely risks and can only result from a series of incidents or defects that have occurred upstream.

Nevertheless, some insurers are reluctant to insure photovoltaic panels. Some do not plan to extend home insurance to a solar installation even though it is real estate by destination. Only photovoltaics integrated into the building automatically benefit from real estate insurance because it is integrated into the home. In any case, your installation must be declared to your insurer because it constitutes a modification of the contract.

So check the terms of your home insurance; see if it includes liability insurance and if it can be extended to your signs. Also pay attention to the inclusion/exclusion clauses of insured damages. It is also prudent to request a written document from your insurer in which he undertakes to intervene in the event of incidents caused to a third party or an EDF agent by a malfunction of your installation.

The ALMA SOLAR All Risks Insurance

To further protect your photovoltaic system, ALMA SOLAR has set up an "All Risks Insurance" which protects all photovoltaic equipment for 5 years against all weather hazards, mechanical risks, fires, theft and even air crash. All the equipment is insured when a professional equipped with ALMA SOLAR products, makes his customers benefits our insurance. An individual can also benefit from the moment the installation is certified by an ALMA SOLAR installation. This insurance is free and included in the order.

Other insurance policies

Insurance against damage that could be caused by bad weather at your installation is in principle covered by your home insurance. However, it may not cover all damages, it may not cover theft, or your insurer may refuse to extend it to your solar panels.

In this case you can subscribe to different additional insurance services:

• Property damage insurance that can also cover thef depending on the contract
• A damage insurance, strongly recommended if your installation is integrated into the building, because it covers the risks related to this integration in addition to your installer's ten-year warranty (if you have one).
• Business interruption insurance (or production loss insurance): it concerns more specifically installations with high powers such as ground-based power plants. In the event of poor performance of an installation, it can guarantee you the reimbursement of the loss of income in relation to the expected income.

So, contact your insurer to see which benefits are included in your contracts and which additional ones they can offer you. Despite their reluctance, the democratization of installations is forcing some insurers to consider new offers. No doubt you will find the right product for your installation!