Last week, we covered the different types of operations required at a solar PV site. In this blog, we will cover the importance of different types of PV maintenance that is required at the solar PV site. PV maintenance includes Administration and preventive maintenance which will be explained in detail below-
Administration of Maintenance:
It ensures positive implementation, control, and documentation of preservation things to do and results. Proper administration means that maintenance will be executed in a timely and responsible manner. It also means that the whole process is less error-prone and well documented. Through proper administration, the O&M team has total control on the procedure which in turn helps in getting the optimum output of the plant.
Preventative Maintenance:
Preventative maintenance is a maintenance plan and sequence designed to ensure all system components are functioning as they should be, and to prevent any technical issues from deteriorating the system. Solar arrays should undergo a preventative maintenance inspection at least once a year, or more often depending on system size. In brief, it is the scheduling and frequency of preventative renovation are set via the operations function.
In a standard preventative maintenance inspection, the technician examining the system will perform a comprehensive test of all physical and electrical components of the array. This includes a focus on the physical panel and racking setup, a review of all electrical connections and strings, evaluation of the utility meter connections and reports, and inspection and maintenance of the inverter according to manufacturer specifications, among other more specific tests. If any of these inspections yield issues or suggest something might be wrong with the array, corrective maintenance measures will be applied.
Why undergo preventative maintenance?
The overarching goal of preventative maintenance is to ensure maximum yield, system uptime, and efficiency of a solar array. By maintaining the system on a regular basis, it stays in better working condition and ensures potential malfunctions are effectively managed.
Properly functioning solar arrays contribute consistent financial value to their owners. If a technical issue arises, a portion of that value is lost. By investing in a preventative maintenance program, a solar array owner protects his or her investment, ensuring optimal system output and therefore financial benefit.
It’s easy to sit back and forget about maintaining your solar array. However, without routine maintenance, the probability increases for a larger issue to arise, which could substantially impact your overall production or the safety of the system. In order to optimize system performance, and thus ROI, it is important to participate in preventative maintenance for your array.
A monitoring solution like TrackSo helps you in executing preventive maintenance by monitoring your solar PV assets as it provides real-time data, error and anomaly detection, visual analysis of data through charts and graphs. This helps in maintaining the health and conditioning of your PV assets as well as helps take preventive measures.
