Want to Maximize Your Solar Investment? Proactive Maintenance Is Key

One of the big selling points of moving to solar energy is the robustness of the technology. A well-designed, well-constructed commercial solar system can easily last upwards of 40 years. That’s a long time to enjoy the cost savings on energy and depreciate your solar investment.

Longevity of one’s solar assets doesn’t just happen. Regular, proactive maintenance is important to ensure consistent performance and to identify potential issues. There are three categories of maintenance that should be performed on your solar system.

Ground-Mount Maintenance

 Solar systems installed on the ground should be checked regularly for simple maintenance issues. This includes:

• Land under the arrays is mowed so grass and weeds don’t become overgrown and interfere with the arrays. If you have chosen pollinator habitat – wildflowers – be planted under your arrays, this also needs routine cleanup so the area is tidy and not overgrown.
• Visual inspection of array area to ensure that storm water and ice melt is draining properly and no tree limbs or other debris is interfering with the system.
• Visual inspection of all panels, mounts and other components.

Roof-Mount Maintenance

Solar systems installed on roofs or on parking lot canopies should also be checked on a regular basis for simple maintenance issues. It takes more effort because the system is on a roof and less accessible. Maintenance includes:

• Check roof/canopy mounts to ensure they are secure.
• Check the roof itself for any deterioration of the roof structure or materials that might interfere with the solar array.
• Visual inspection of all panels, mounts and other components.

Annual and Semi-Annual Maintenance

 This is an in-depth review to ensure all equipment, the panels, racking and inverters, are in good working order and performing at optimal levels. Maintenance includes:

• Inspection of inverters, modules, racking, panel boxes, and wiring for damage or weak spots.
• Thermal scan of all equipment to identify hot spots that could potentially cause a problem.
• Perform breaker safety test to verify functionality.
• Run diagnostic tests on the inverter.
• Check and adjust, if necessary, the position of solar panels.
• Check for and remove rust from racking.
• Check that all panels are tightened to manufacturers torque specifications.

While some solar providers simply install systems and lets customers handle maintenance, Solential is a solar solutions company. In other words, we’re here for our customers from “cradle to grave,” optimizing your investment from initial design through installation and maintenance through the life of the system.

In addition to offering maintenance agreements to owners of solar systems we install, Solential also maintains arrays for other entities that have purchased systems through other companies and want to protect their investment and ensure system performance. This includes utility companies, schools, wastewater plants, and businesses.

Solential’s maintenance programs come with the option of real-time monitoring via any smart device or desktop using our proprietary system that constantly monitors system performance. No other company that we know of can offer live monitoring of commercial solar systems.

Want to learn more on how to maximize your solar investment through proactive maintenance? Contact us and let’s start a conversation.