How to Read a Solar Quotation in Zimbabwe (Before You Sign Anything)

A quotation that lists kilowatts but not battery usable capacity, panel model or inverter model is not a quotation you can compare — and that vagueness is usually deliberate.

Two installers can quote you “5kW” systems that are, in practice, completely different products: different panel tiers, different battery chemistries, different inverter brands with different failure rates, different warranty terms, and wildly different real-world backup time during load-shedding. If the paperwork doesn’t let you compare those things side by side, you’re not choosing a system — you’re choosing a price, and hoping the rest works out.

Here’s what to look for before you commit.

What a proper quotation contains

At minimum, a quotation you can actually evaluate should specify:

• Panel details — brand, model number, wattage per panel, and quantity (not just “X kW of panels”)
• Battery details — brand, chemistry (lithium/LiFePO4 vs lead-acid/gel), nominal capacity in kWh, and usable capacity in kWh
• Inverter details — brand, model, rated continuous output, and surge capacity
• System configuration — whether it’s grid-tied, hybrid, or fully off-grid, and how it handles ZETDC supply when it’s available
• Installation scope — mounting type, cabling, earthing/lightning protection, and whether commissioning and testing are included
• Warranty terms for each component, stated separately (see below)
• Total price, broken down by component and labour, not a single lump sum
• Payment terms and schedule

If any one of these is missing, ask for it in writing before you compare this quote to anything else. A missing line item isn’t an oversight in a serious quotation — professional installers price and document this way because they have to order specific parts.

Vagueness as a warning sign

Vagueness in a quotation almost never favours you. Common patterns worth noticing:

• “5kW system” with no component breakdown. This tells you the inverter size, at best — it tells you nothing about how much energy you can actually store or how long it lasts.
• “Battery included” with no capacity figure. A 2.4kWh battery and a 10kWh battery are both “included.” One runs your fridge and lights through an evening load-shedding block; the other doesn’t.
• Rounded, suspiciously clean prices with no line-item breakdown, making it hard to tell what you’d cut if you asked for a cheaper version.
• Brand names withheld until after deposit. If an installer won’t tell you the panel or inverter brand before you pay something, that’s a decision being made for you, not with you.
• “Similar to” or “equivalent to” language describing components — this is often used when the actual part is a lower tier than the brand it’s being compared to.

None of this means the installer is necessarily dishonest. Sometimes it’s simply a generic quote template that was never built for comparison shopping. Either way, the fix is the same: ask for the specifics before you decide, not after.

Battery capacity claims to check

This is where most disappointment in Zimbabwean solar installations actually comes from — not panels failing, but batteries not doing what people expected.

• Nominal vs usable capacity. A battery rated at 5kWh nominal is not 5kWh you can actually use. Lead-acid and gel batteries are typically only usable to 50% depth of discharge (DoD) without shortening their lifespan significantly — so a “5kWh” lead-acid battery may only give you 2.5kWh of real, sustainable capacity. Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries typically tolerate 80–90% DoD, so a 5kWh lithium battery gets you much closer to its rated figure in practice. Ask directly: “What is the usable capacity, not the nominal capacity?”
• Chemistry matters for lifespan, not just capacity. Lead-acid/gel batteries are cheaper upfront but typically last 300–500 full cycles before meaningful capacity loss. LiFePO4 batteries commonly last 3,000–6,000+ cycles. Over a 5–10 year horizon, the cheaper battery is frequently not the cheaper option.
• Cycle life claims should have a source. If a quotation states a cycle life or lifespan figure, ask whether that number comes from the manufacturer’s datasheet or is a general industry estimate. These are not the same thing, and only one of them is verifiable.
• C-rating and discharge limits. A battery can have plenty of stored energy but still not be able to deliver it fast enough to start a fridge compressor or run a kettle. Ask what the battery’s maximum continuous and surge discharge rate is, and whether it comfortably covers your highest-draw appliances running together.

Warranty terms worth reading

“10-year warranty” printed on a quotation is marketing copy until you see what it actually covers. Ask for the warranty documents themselves, and check:

• Product warranty vs performance warranty are different things, especially for panels. A product warranty covers manufacturing defects (often 10–12 years). A performance warranty covers how much power the panel still produces over time (often guaranteeing something like 80–85% output at 25 years). A quotation that only quotes one of these numbers is only telling you half the story.
• Who honours the warranty — the local installer, a local distributor, or only the manufacturer overseas. If it’s the manufacturer overseas, ask what the actual claims process looks like from Zimbabwe: shipping costs, timeframes, and whether replacement units are held locally at all.
• What voids the warranty. Incorrect installation, unauthorised modification, and (for batteries especially) operating outside the specified temperature or discharge range are common exclusions. Ask specifically whether your intended setup and location fall inside those limits.
• Labour warranty, separately. A battery replaced under warranty is only half a fix if you’re paying full labour again to have it reinstalled. Ask whether callout/labour is covered, and for how long.

Certification and who signs off

Zimbabwe does have real, checkable oversight here — most buyers just don’t know where to look.

• ZERA’s solar product registration system. ZERA maintains a registration system for solar products sold in Zimbabwe — covering panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters — where products are checked against adopted quality standards before being registered and issued a certificate. You can ask an installer for the ZERA registration status of the specific panel, battery and inverter models they’re quoting, and check the registered products list yourself.
• ZERA’s register of trained installers. ZERA also publishes a database of individuals trained in solar PV system design and installation. It’s a reasonable, publicly available way to check whether the person actually doing your installation — not just the company selling you the system — has been through recognised training.
• Who signs off the installation. Ask who inspects and signs off the completed installation, and get that in writing along with the commissioning report. A system that’s never formally commissioned is one nobody has actually confirmed is wired and configured correctly.
• Don’t confuse a business registration with a technical certification. A company being registered to trade is not the same as its technicians being trained or its products being registered with ZERA. Ask for both separately.

Payment structures to avoid

• 100% upfront, before any equipment is on site. This leaves you with no leverage if delivery is delayed, wrong components arrive, or the installer simply doesn’t return.
• Large deposits with no milestone structure. A more defensible structure ties payments to visible progress — deposit to order equipment, a payment on delivery/verification of the actual components against the quotation, and a final payment on commissioning and sign-off.
• No refund or cancellation terms in writing. If equipment ordered doesn’t match what was quoted, or installation is abandoned partway, what happens to money already paid? If the quotation doesn’t say, ask for it in writing before paying anything.
• Pressure to pay immediately to “lock in” a price or exchange rate. This is a common and legitimate concern in Zimbabwe given currency volatility — but a serious installer should be able to explain their pricing basis (USD-pegged, RTGS, etc.) clearly rather than using it as a reason to skip the verification steps above.

Questions that separate the serious from the rest

A short list you can put to any installer, verbatim:

1. What is the exact panel model, and what is its performance warranty (not just product warranty)?
2. What is the battery’s usable capacity, not nominal capacity, and at what depth of discharge?
3. Is this battery and inverter model registered with ZERA? Can I see the registration?
4. Is the technician doing the installation on ZERA’s register of trained installers?
5. What is the payment schedule, tied to what milestones?
6. What voids the warranty, and who actually honours a claim if something fails?
7. Can I see a full component-level breakdown of this quotation in writing?

An installer with nothing to hide will answer all seven without friction. Hesitation on any of them is information.

Getting this right for your own situation

Everything above is general guidance — the right system size, battery chemistry, and configuration for your actual site depends on your specific load (what you’re running and for how long), your roof or mounting situation, and how much of the year you’re relying on stored power versus ZETDC supply. A quotation that’s technically honest can still be the wrong system for your house.

Send us your details and we will tell you what applies to your site before you commit to anything.

Customer information is published by ZESA Holdings and consumer guidance by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority.

MyZesaConnect is an independent electrical consultancy. We are not ZESA, ZETDC or ZERA.