Importance of Solar Panel Maintenance
There are times in which people or companies that have a photovoltaic solar system installed forget to request an annual preventive maintenance for their system, decide not to request at all or simply believe it is not necessary. Just like any other long-durability equipment such as a car or machines, photovoltaic solar systems require at least one preventive maintenance per year, to prevent damages that can then no longer be repaired. In this blog we answer some of the frequent questions our clients make us regarding this service and the importance of solar panel maintenance.
What is the importance of solar panel maintenance?
- To protect the integrity and functionality of the photovoltaic systems
- Keep operating conditions, performance, protections and durability of the installation within the acceptable limits
- Keep guarantee
- Extend equipment’s life
- Maximize utilization
- Keep equipment performance stable
Who does the solar panel maintenance?
Technical personnel.
What does the preventive maintenance include?
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Preventive Maintenance Operations: visual inspections, controls, checks and procedures that include specialized labor and expenses from the following:
- Travel times
- Handling times
- Transportation
- Car rental
- Tools rental
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Repairs or necessary replacements of all the installation’s elements that affect the following system components:
- Electrical inverters
- Photovoltaic modules
- Structural elements
- Electric connections
- Note: the quote does not include the cost of repairs or replacements under the following scenarios and an additional economic proposal must be considered:
- If the guarantee offered by the manufacturers is expired or they are not in the position to enforce the guarantee and extension of it is not expressly included.
- If there are damages caused to the installation by third parties or other annexed installations, or because of repairs done by the client or third parties, even if it is only in a small part of the installation, without greenenergy knowing.
- If there is any damage due to causes beyond the control of greenenergy, either due to incorrect manipulations of the installation, overvoltage or over intensities of the general distribution network or force majeure.
What does the technician do during the solar panel maintenance?
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Follow up:
- Verify that the data registration and monitoring are working correctly
- Verify the functioning of alarms
- Verify the production of the system
- Solve functioning errors (in case there are any)
-
PV modules (solar panels):
- Inspection of general status of the modules
- Cleaning of modules
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Fixing structures:
- Inspection of roof sheets and support structures of the impacted areas
- Inspection of degradations, oxidations and damage on fixing structures
- Readjustment of screws and structures (if necessary)
- Replacement of degraded parts and pieces (if necessary)
- Cleaning of mayor materials accumulated in the attachment points
-
Connections and protection elements:
- Inspection of general status
- Adjustment of terminals and connections
- Testing of continues stream connections (temperature, continuity, insulators, tension, streams, etc.)
- Testing of alternating current connections (temperature, continuity, insulators, tension, streams, etc.)
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Measurements and revisions in each inverter
- Direct current
- Negative to land
- Positive to land
- Positive to negative
- Alternate current
- Phase 1 to phase 2
- Phase 1 to neutral
- Phase 1 to land
- Phase 2 to neutral
- Phase 2 to land
- Neutral to land
- Direct current
-
Inverters:
- Inspection of general status and alarms
- Fasteners inspection
- Interior and exterior cleaning
- Filter cleaning
- Tighten terminals and connections
- Tighten mechanical fasteners
- Cable and connections status inspection
- Vent status inspection
- Rearmament test
If you have any further questions about the importance of solar panel maintenance or anything regarding this topic, please feel free to contact us!
Written by: Abdenago Guzmán, Engineering Director
