O&M practices for solar rooftop plant

O&M practices for solar rooftop plant

 

“A building with good operation and maintenance that is poorly designed will outperform a well-designed building with poor operation and maintenance.”

As any other thing, operation and maintenance of solar rooftop modules is necessary. 

 

Although a rooftop solar module is a long-lived asset and requires less maintenance, still it is not like “set and forget”.  Operation and Maintenance is necessary for improving performance after a certain time period.

Why is it Necessary?

With the passing of time, layers of dust and pollutants stick on the surface of the solar module. In spring, layers of pollen also gather. If there is construction work nearby, then some additional construction dust also accumulates. With increase in thickness of this dust and pollutant layer, performance of solar modules decreases. To avoid this decrease in performance, preventive maintenance is necessary. 

Besides this if there is some natural calamity like cyclone and storm it can damage our solar rooftop module by slackening several wire connections, weakening clamp type joints and adding many airborne and foreign objects, harmful to the solar module. To improve performance to earlier level, breakdown maintenance is necessary.
 

Maintenance Processes

The preventive maintenance must be carried out by the original installer or another accredited PV contractor or EPCs, who will carry out a range of system checks in line with the standards set by the ministry
 

1. Cleaning - Solar modules can be cleaned using water, strip cleaner and squeeze. 

    While cleaning these points should be considered

• High-pressure water, metal brushes and any types of solvents or harsh detergents should be avoided.
• Cleaning should be done in the morning. As the solar module should not be hot while cleaning it with water.
• Cleaning should be scheduled following any nearby construction work and after the pollen season.
• Plastic owl or falcon with a swivel head can be used to scare off birds. Schedule rooftop services and removal of nests according to nesting season timing.

2. Battery Maintenance

• At first, each component of the system should be isolated and all the switches should be off.
• Then to keep the battery dry and free of electrolyte corrosion and residues it should be cleaned once a month. It also includes checking cell electrolyte level and acid volume. At the end, voltage of each battery should be recorded in a log sheet.

 

3. Inverter Maintenance 

• The inverter should be installed at a dry and ventilated area.
• Connections of resistive joints should be checked. Inverter display panel for any recorded faults should be checked.
• There should be some free space around the inverter for cooling.

Besides this, there are some simple checks that can be performed by the owner itself. 

On a daily basis, he can check the in-house display. On a sunny day, it should be approximately 4-5 kWh per kW in India. Then after every 3 to 4 months, he can check the dust and debris layer on the module. In addition, once in a year he can arrange some trained certified professionals and EPCs for reviewing it.

Therefore, by operating and maintaining the solar panel properly one can provide it a long life. 
We at Solarmarts believe that O&M practices are very important to extend the life of the solar power plant. We can help you to connect with best O&M service provider