SMA · inverter
SMA — cell hotspots
Hotspots are primarily a panel-level issue, but SMA inverter monitoring can help detect hotspot symptoms. Panels with hotspots draw more current from healthy cells, which shows up as string-level production anomalies in your inverter data.
Cell hotspots details
Localised overheating in individual cells caused by micro-cracks, shading, or manufacturing defects. Best detected via thermal imaging.
Typical loss: 5–20%Detection: thermalLikelihood: common
Brand lifespan
15 years
Warranty
10 years
Check your SMA system
Use our free Solar Loss Checker to estimate how much energy your SMA system may be losing.
Check my systemBased on conservative solar performance modelling and published degradation data
NRELIEA-PVPSSunSpecPVsyst+ published research
Updated April 2026 · Structured performance modelling
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