Solar Panel Operations and Maintenance

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

Protecting your investment

Solar panel operations and maintenance

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 for more information. 

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:

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

Annual solar panel system inspection visit

Our annual solar panel system inspection and service aims to highlight any issues, prevent future problems and ensures that your equipment operates safely, efficiently and to optimum performance, and includes:

  1. Functional check of AC & DC isolators, and for damage and ingress
  2. Check of DC junction boxes where present for damage and ingress
  3. Check for integrity of fuses and surge protectors where present
  4. Check that generation is in line with prediction
  5. Check that inverter(s) remain mounted securely
  6. Check that inverter(s) remain ventilated with unobstructed airflow, fans are operating etc
  7. Check that inverter(s) are free of signs of water or other ingress (especially those externally mounted)
  8. Check the contents of inverter fault log(s)
  9. Check AC voltage at inverter(s) and assess risk of over voltage
  10. Test DC circuits (inc. Vsc, lsc, Earth leakage)
  11. Check that all labelling & signage remains present and correct (including system schematic)
  12. Check that the emergency shutdown procedure remains visible

Optional solar panel system checks

In addition to the checks we recommend above, we can also carry out the following enhanced checks, subject to the requirement for access and other equipment and resources:

  1. Check that DC connectors remain secure, free from damage, and supported away from pooling water
  2. Check that cables remain adequately supported and are free from damage
  3. Check that module clamps remain secure by testing torque of a random sample
  4. Check that mounting rails remain secure and free of distortion (Including fixing brackets)
  5. Test string series resistance
  6. Test string insulation resistance (Riso)
  7. Test Potential Induced Degradation (PID)
  8. Conduct a thermographic survey for faulty components and module cells

Third party services

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

 

Frequency

The frequency recommended with any of these services is linked to your own corporate appetite for risk, and that of your insurers or compliance team, but we recommend a minimum of annual inspection for some items, biennial for others, and as required for the rest. The exception to this is the AC electrical element of your system, which will be subject to the requirements of the current edition of the Wiring Regulations, and again, we can help with that.

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:

  1. Replace generation meter, including production of certificate
  2. Replace AC or DC isolator
  3. Re-set tripped MCB
  4. Replace faulty or undersized MCB
  5. Re-connect monitoring hardware to Wi-Fi or bluetooth
  6. Inverter swap (inverter replaced under manufacturer’s warranty)
  7. Optimiser swap (optimiser replaced under manufacturer’s warranty)
  8. String fault investigation and repairs including full circuitry overhaul and retrospective string diagrams

Solar panel performance monitoring

Our trusted partner RWG Solar offer a proactive meter-based monitoring service for commercial solar panel systems, saving solar PV system owner-operators time, effort & money.

Their software closely monitors your PV systems’ data to benchmark against our portfolio of local installations, identify any shortfalls in performance and produce a monthly report so that you can have peace of mind that your system is generating the maximum return on investment. Proactive monitoring also helps to identify any potential generation issues before they become bigger, more expensive problems.

FAQS

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.

Business finance options | Power Purchase Agreement

Power your business with a free, fully maintained solar PV system

We have partnered with some of the UK’s leading financial institutions to offer an attractive Power Purchase Agreement, allowing your business to benefit from solar without any capital expenditure.