Solar installations are extremely reliable, but like any piece of equipment, they need to be kept in good working order to deliver profitable returns over their service lifetime. Having a maintenance-free solar farm is impossible. The solution to maintaining a lower maintenance solar farm that’s capable of achieving acceptable ROI standards for several decades of service is simple – have a proactive operations and maintenance service plan.

Proactive Solar Maintenance

A solar preventative maintenance program should be customized to each individual client’s needs in order to maximize overall system performance, as well as minimize the need for corrective maintenance and costly downtime. A dedication to preventative maintenance helps to ensure that all equipment is in proper working order, lessening the chance of equipment failure.

Some proactive solar maintenance services include, but are not limited to:

• Comprehensive Inspection – Inspections make sure the system follows OEM specifications, ensures system integrity is being upheld, and identifies and documents areas of improvement and correction.
• Maintenance of Data Acquisition Systems (DAS) – To produce the most accurate readings of a system production, you need to ensure calibration points are being maintained, communications are functioning properly, and environmental are aligned properly.
• Adherence to Manufacturers’ Specifications – Following proper specifications to meet or exceed standard lifecycle expectations is vital to your operations.
• Cost Effective Field Service/Maintenance – Your PV system will need dedicated resources to maintain its integrity. By partnering with a qualified solar O&M company, you are guaranteed a quality team of professionals at cost-effective prices throughout the life of the system.
• Panel Cleaning – Based upon local environmental conditions, solar module cleaning services are an integral part of many system owners’ needs. Your solar O&M service provider can make recommendations for overall site maintenance based on system review and site inspections.
• Vegetation Management & Wildlife Prevention – The environment of the site plays a key part in production. As such, the management of vegetation, wildlife, and water drainage plays an important role in the reporting and proactive services.

Using a combination of pre-scheduled tests, comprehensive site inspections, component evaluation and maintenance, non-critical repair management, effective maintenance procedure and predictive equipment replacement will ensure that that your system is always operating at its maximum design capability.