Solar Panel Operations and Maintenance

Safeguarding your solar PV equipment against breakdowns or reductions in performance.

SolarSense are a trusted solar panel operations and maintenance partner for a wide range of businesses in the UK. We offer both reactive and preventative maintenance for commercial energy systems and often undertake servicing and repairs for clients with solar PV systems installed by other contractors.

Each technology we install will require a different level of operations and maintenance. However, we will discuss this with you as part of your project schedule and can tailor a package to suit your business requirements. We also suggest a solar panel monitoring solution to ensure your system is operating to maximum performance all year round.

Protecting your solar panel system

Your commercial solar panel system is designed to require very little maintenance and to run productively for many years. However, as with any complex electrical equipment, issues which were not envisaged such as the environment, third party interference or component failure can cause unforeseen problems.

Over time system faults, damage caused by pests or component issues such as an inverter failure can cause lost energy generation; potentially costing your business £1000’s in the long-term.

We recommend that you periodically check your equipment, including your inverter for the obvious signs of faults and monitor your production to ensure you don’t lose out on your valuable income and savings.

We advise that your solar panel system undergoes a professional maintenance visit once a year as outlined below. This will help to identify any intermittent faults that you may have missed and safeguard your equipment against possible breakdowns. It will also help to uphold any warranties on the equipment you have purchased.

We can help tailor a package to your business requirements; please contact us below.

What can the solar panel system owner do?

There are some simple steps that the solar panel system owner can take to give your PV system the best chance of performing well and meeting your objectives. These include:

Make a visual check of solar modules from ground level (check for slipped modules, damage, soiling etc)
Make a visual check of inverter where safe access (check for indication of fault or damage)
Check that meter recorded generation is increasing
Make a visual check for signs of structural distress (Particularly after heavy winter snow)
Reduce shading from vegetation growth where possible

Annual PV system planned preventative maintenance

Our annual solar planned preventative maintenance aims to highlight any issues, prevent future problems and ensures that your equipment operates safely, efficiently and to optimum performance. Our standard inspection and testing schedule aligns with the IET PV Code of Practice, RC62 Recommendations for fire safety with PV panel installations and Solar Energy UK guidelines and includes:

Inspection of all accessible PV modules, mounting systems, cables and containment systems – by roof access (where practical) or by drone
Inspection, torque testing and cleaning of switchgear and inverters
Inspection and compliance check of labels, signs and diagrams
Monitoring system checks
Combined DC string test (open-circuit voltage, short-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, insulation resistance and polarity), or series resistance testing
Earthing and bonding continuity tests and compliance checks
Thermal imaging of switchgear
Detailed report with test results and recommended remedial works

Commercial solar PV system repairs

In the event of an inverter failure, system fault or lost generation, SolarSense offer a call out service for fault investigation and repairs. This service is available for both SolarSense customers and third-party installations:

Replace generation meter, including production of certificate
Replacing or repairing faulty or incorrectly designed switchgear and metering equipment
Replacing faulty inverters
Restoring systems after tripping events and investigating root causes
Re-connect monitoring hardware or install new monitoring systems
Replacing faulty PV modules, optimisers or mounting system components
Investigating and rectifying DC string faults
Redesigns and production of new schematics
Repowering and revamping

Third-party services

We can also arrange contractors to carry out a range of additional services, such as array cleaning, aerial thermography and pest removal and exclusion.

Frequency

As a member of Solar Energy UK, we have adopted this organisation’s recommended inspection frequency. Most insurance companies have also aligned their requirements with Solar Energy UK recommendations.

Commercial properties should undergo a full schedule of planned preventative maintenance annually, and domestic installations every 5 to 10 years. Installations larger than 500kW should be assessed for the need for further increased frequency.

Solar module cleaning should be done as needed on the basis of a risk assessment and/or ongoing monitoring of the condition of the modules.

Everything you need to make an informed decision

Do SolarSense offer solar PV monitoring?

Yes, we offer a range of monitoring solutions so that you can keep on track of your systems’ performance. Contact us for more information.

I have a system fault and my installer is no longer operating, can Solarsense help?

Yes, Solarsense offer a call out service for fault investigation and repairs. This service is available for both Solarsense customers and third party installations.

Do SolarSense offer O&M for commercial installs?

SolarSense offer operations, maintenance and monitoring on every commercial renewable energy system installed. Each technology will require a different level of maintenance; however, we will discuss this with you as part of the project schedule.