Hiring a Solar Installer in Kenya: Licences, Quotes and What a Proper Handover Looks Like

Two quotes arrive for the same farm solar system. One is a single line on a WhatsApp message: "Complete solar set, 4 panels, battery, inverter, installation, all inclusive." The other runs to a page, naming the panel wattage and model, the battery chemistry and capacity, the controller type, the cable sizes, the breakers and surge protection, the mounting rails and the warranty on each part. The first is cheaper. Six months later, it is usually the more expensive of the two.

Most of the solar problems Kenyan farmers bring to us are not equipment failures. They are installation problems: undersized cable that runs hot, no fuse between the battery and the inverter, panels shaded for half the day, batteries cooking in a tin box, or a system sized by guesswork that runs flat every evening. The installer you choose decides whether good equipment performs or disappoints.

This guide explains how to choose a solar installer in Kenya: what the law requires of them, how to read and compare quotes, what should happen on installation day, and what you should be handed when the job is done. It applies whether the job is a few panels for lighting and phone charging or a larger system running pumps, an incubator or a milk cooler.

Solar Installers in Kenya Must Be Licensed

Many buyers do not know that solar installation is a regulated trade in Kenya. Under the Energy (Solar Photovoltaic Systems) Regulations, 2012, people who design and install solar PV systems must hold a licence. Licensing is now handled by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), which took over from the former Energy Regulatory Commission under the Energy Act, 2019.

The regulations set out licence classes for individual technicians and for contractor firms, T1 to T3 for technicians (T1 covers small DC systems, T3 grid-connected and hybrid work) and V1 and V2 for firms (V1 for design, sale and installation, V2 for manufacture and import), with each class limited to certain types and sizes of system. The details can change, so check the current rules and the licence lists published on EPRA's website rather than relying on what an installer tells you. The point for a farmer is simple: ask to see the licence, note the name and number, and confirm that the class covers the kind of system you want.

A licence is not a guarantee of good work, but it shows the installer has been trained and assessed, and it gives you a regulator to complain to if the job is dangerous. An installer who refuses to show one, or says it is not needed for a farm, has told you something important.

A Good Installer Starts With Your Loads, Not the Kit

The first sign of a competent installer is the questions they ask. Before naming any equipment, they should want to know exactly what the system will power: every light, the pump, the incubator, the milk cooler, the television, the phone chargers, the electric fence energiser. For each one they need the power rating, how many hours a day it runs, and whether it must run at night or only in daylight.

From that list they work out the daily energy need in watt-hours, then size the panels from the sun hours your site gets and the battery from how many hours or days the system must run without sun. Our solar sizing guide walks through the same method, and working through it yourself before you call anyone means you can check whether the installer's numbers make sense. Motors need extra attention, because pumps and chaff cutters draw several times their running power for a moment when they start, and the inverter must handle that surge. Our guide to inverter sizing explains why.

Be wary of an installer who offers a fixed "package" without asking about your loads. A package may suit your needs by chance, but more often it is too small for what you want to run or larger than you need to pay for.

The Site Visit

For anything beyond a very small kit, a proper installer visits before quoting. On the visit they should look at where the panels will go and check it for shade through the day, inspect the roof structure if it is a roof mount, decide where the battery, controller and inverter will sit, measure the cable runs, and look at any existing wiring the system will connect to. They should also explain where the cables will run, because long runs need thicker cable, as our guide to PV cable and connectors explains.

If an installer quotes for a pump system without asking the depth of the well, the height to the tank and the daily water need, the quote is a guess. The same goes for a system meant to power existing house wiring that nobody has inspected.

Reading a Quote: What Should Be Written Down

A good quote lets you see exactly what you are buying and compare it fairly with another. Each major item should be named with its key rating, not just described as a "set". Use this table to check every quote you receive.

Battery chemistry deserves particular attention because it is often the largest single cost and the item that wears out first. A quote that says only "battery" or "200 amps" is not enough. Our comparison of lithium and lead-acid solar batteries explains what to look for, and the same applies to the controller, covered in our guide to PWM and MPPT charge controllers.

Comparing Two Quotes Fairly

Quotes are only comparable when they deliver the same thing. Put them side by side and compare total panel watts, usable battery energy, inverter continuous and surge ratings, and the protection and mounting included. A cheaper quote with half the battery capacity, no surge protection and improvised mounting is not cheaper; it is a smaller, less safe system.

Watch for the common substitutions. Panels of a lower wattage than discussed. A lead-acid battery where you expected lithium, or a car battery in place of a deep-cycle battery. A PWM controller where the design needs MPPT. Household twin-and-earth cable on the panel side instead of PV cable. Missing fuses between the battery and the inverter, which is one of the most dangerous omissions because a battery can deliver a very large current into a fault. Also ask whether the panels and batteries come with genuine manufacturer documents; our guide to genuine versus imitation equipment covers how to check.

Installation Day: What to Watch For

You do not need to be an electrician to tell a careful job from a careless one. On the day, watch for these basic signs of good practice:

• Panels are fixed to proper rails anchored into the roof structure, with roof penetrations sealed.
• Cables are neatly run, clipped and protected where they pass through walls or over sharp edges, not left hanging or lying in gutters.
• The battery sits in a ventilated, shaded, dry place, off the bare floor, away from children and livestock, and not sealed in a hot metal box.
• There is a fuse or DC breaker close to the battery, and isolators that let you switch off the panels and the battery separately.
• An earth connection is installed, and surge protection is fitted where the design calls for it.
• Connections are crimped or clamped with the proper tool and terminals, not twisted and taped.
• Everything is labelled, so that anyone working on the system later knows what each switch and cable does.

Commissioning and Handover

A job is not finished when the lights come on. A good installer tests the system before leaving: checking panel voltages and charging current in sunlight, confirming the controller and inverter settings match the battery type, running the main loads, and checking that the protection devices work. Battery settings matter especially for lithium batteries, which need the controller and inverter set to the battery maker's values.

At handover you should receive:

• A simple wiring diagram or written description of the system, with the location of every isolator and fuse.
• The manuals and warranty documents for the panels, battery, controller and inverter.
• A receipt listing every component with its model, and the installer's name, licence number and contact.
• A short explanation of how to read the controller or inverter display, how to switch the system off safely, and what not to plug in.
• Written workmanship warranty terms, and the date of the first check-up visit if one is included.

Keep these papers together somewhere dry. If a component fails under warranty, the receipt and model numbers are what get it replaced. Our guide to equipment warranties and after-sales service explains how to make a claim stick.

Paying for the Job

For a larger system, agree a payment schedule in writing: a deposit to buy the equipment, a further payment on installation, and the balance after commissioning, once the system has been tested in front of you. Pay through traceable channels such as M-Pesa to a registered business or a bank transfer, and get a receipt each time. Avoid paying the full amount upfront to someone you do not know. If the system is a big outlay, our guide to financing farm equipment covers the options.

Installer Checklist

• You have written your own list of loads, ratings and running hours.
• The installer asked about your loads and visited the site before quoting.
• You have seen the EPRA licence, noted the number and checked the class on EPRA's website.
• The quote names every component with its rating and model, including protection, cable and mounting.
• You compared quotes on watts, battery energy, inverter ratings and protection, not just the total.
• Payments are staged, traceable and receipted.
• On the day, the battery is fused, cables are protected and everything is labelled.
• The system was tested in front of you and you received the diagram, manuals and warranties.

Fuga Equipment supplies solar panels, charge controllers, inverters and lithium batteries with their documentation at our Eldoret, Nairobi and Nakuru branches. Browse the solar equipment range, and if you have a quote you want a second opinion on, contact the team and we will go through the equipment list with you.

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