O&M services are strategic maintenance of photovoltaic farms. Necessary for their proper operation and to keep the yields and profits of Our investors at a constantly high level. Watch the video to learn more about it!
The market for photovoltaic farms in Poland is growing extremely fast! Operation and maintenance popularly known as “O&M” services (from Operations and Maintenance ) has grown from a simple service offered by companies involved in the engineering, procurement and construction of PV farms for the systems they build, to a dedicated market segment. Consisting mainly of independent service providers engaged in photovoltaic contracting.
Operation of photovoltaic farms
O&M Lighthief Subscription
- We apply our subscription services to solutions for photovoltaic installations as small as 50KW. They allow us to respond to the demand of Our contractors, related to professional and active service of their investments in photovoltaic installations and farms. Included in the cost of the service are both the monitoring of the photovoltaic installations of Our customers but also their cleaning, drone flights and inspections, yield forecasts and thermal imaging audits. We believe that only such a “tailored” comprehensive service will give our partners tangible benefits and a true picture of the profits from RES investments.
- Subscription O&M care services cover the entire photovoltaic system, including photovoltaic panels, inverters, brackets, junction boxes, meters, transformers, switchgear, cabins, cabling, security fencing, supervision, ground work (including mowing and management of grass and vegetation), solar panel cleaning, weather station monitoring, general monitoring and communication systems up to the point of connection between the photovoltaic system and the DNO.
- Services include, but are not limited to, taking appropriate measures to achieve higher yields and advising the Investor on technical issues during the operation of photovoltaic installations.
- O&M Lighthief’s subscription will ensure, as far as possible, the uninterrupted operation of photovoltaic installations and farms and, taking into account the weather, the optimum use of the photovoltaic panels’ capabilities. Where possible, maintenance work will be performed in such a way as to have the least possible impact on the performance of the photovoltaic system.
Subscription O&M and Our maintenance services also include:
- Insurance and guarantee management
- 24-hour monitoring, data analysis and shutdown
- Preventive maintenance
- Repairs and renovations
- Service on the phone or visit of a mobile inspector in 12h throughout Poland
- Claims handling
- Operating performance report
- Yield reporting and forecasts
- Reports of significant disturbances
- System updates
- Reactive maintenance services, solar panel cleaning and green space management
We invest in and use state-of-the-art solar panel cleaning and washing equipment, providing an integrated cleaning system for photovoltaic projects using modern methods. Lighthief and Our service technicians use professional, state-of-the-art machines that are specifically designed to clean and wash the surface of solar panel cleaning and have fully automated cleaning systems for installation on the ground, on the roofs of warehouses or on the water.In order to ensure high quality service and maximum customer satisfaction, we approach each project individually, according to the characteristics and requirements of the customer.
How do we build O&M services for our partners at Lighthief and what do we pay attention to?
There are several different aspects related to solar O&M and photovoltaic farms:
- Preventive maintenance: Routine inspection and servicing of equipment to avoid breakdowns and unnecessary production losses. Among other things, through drone inspection and specialized thermal imaging and audits (according to the principle thermal imaging will tell you the truth).
- Corrective maintenance: Repairs after failures to minimize unplanned downtime.
- Condition-based maintenance: using real-time data to predict failures and prioritize actions and resources.
- Each of these approaches covers part or all of a range of services, including 24/7 performance monitoring and diagnostics, energy consumption and yield forecasting, warranty administration and preventive maintenance, including solar panel cleaning and vegetation inspection, grass cutting.
- This may also include integration with a third-party company to commission the system, update the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, replace broken parts, and support the replacement of structures for photovoltaic panels, for example.
Lighthief is also risk management for photovoltaic farms. How does it work?
Risk management is the ability to identify what can go wrong at a PV farm and predict the likelihood and consequences.
This enables PV farm owners or asset managers of their investors to effectively plan for unplanned maintenance and mitigate problems. Risk management is becoming a distinct field, with many companies offering software and services to “insure” solar energy production.
How do you choose an O&M service partner for your PV farm?
If you are considering establishing a relationship with an O&M partner there are many factors to evaluate in potential partners. Solar Power World writes: “Outsourcing solar O&M is not just about technology and techniques, but also about partnering with someone who has a best-practice perspective on PV plant inspection procedures, quality assessment plans and maintenance checklists for PV farms.”
An effective O&M company is not just about preventive maintenance services. The contractor you choose must be able to fully monitor and analyze the performance of the photovoltaic farm and work to ensure its optimal operation.
The company should be able to follow the control procedures adopted with the Investor and implement quality assurance plans. It should provide real-time monitoring, data analysis and reporting for accelerated error handling and optimal use of resources. This should include periodic and preventive maintenance inspections with IV curve analysis and thermographic imaging.
For all major photovoltaic systems and photovoltaic farms, one of the most important factors for the successful operation of a photovoltaic system in the long term is the ability to maintain uninterrupted operation. The maximum operating time of a photovoltaic farm allows for maximum financial efficiency of the system and revenue stream, aspects that are extremely important for any investor. One of the problems, for example, are inverters , which are often the main source of failure of photovoltaic power plants, and their operation and maintenance improves efficiency and reliability to increase yields. It is estimated that by 2025 the life of chain and central inverters will increase from an average of 15 to 20 years – this can be achieved through regular preventive maintenance.
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