Solar Operation and Maintenance
The Importance of Operation & Maintenance (O & M) in Solar Rooftop Systems
Solar rooftop systems need intensive upkeep and regular efforts for management. It requires the right combination of durable hardware, excellent workmanship, and efficient management to ensure optimum productivity.
A highly efficient O & M is key to ensure the longevity of any solar rooftop plant. With the right O & M techniques, you can make sure that your solar rooftop plant lasts for more than 25 years and is highly productive in terms of output. A durable and highly productive rooftop plant guarantees a high ROI and long-term profitability for the customers.
O & M is one of the most crucial components for the upkeep of any solar plant. As a part of the routine O & M functions, the issues reported by the end-users are detected and resolved within a reasonably short period. It is carried out in such a way that it causes minimal disruption or downtime to a plant’s operation. This ensures the uninterrupted generation of power and smooth functioning of the solar panel setup.
Challenges faced by us in providing O & M services:
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- The incurrence of high expenses (up to 5% of yearly revenue)
- High training costs involved due to the scarcity of skilled workers.
- Expenses incurred in the transportation of workers and heavy machinery
- Insufficient and irregular water supply in several areas
- Expensive tools and spare parts
- Inadequate presence of transport in remote areas
- The requirement for regular cleaning and maintenance
- Some parts must be repaired or replaced regularly.
- Lack of awareness of some consumers for proper maintenance
- The non-urban location of most installations
- The high cost of transportation involved in visiting sites located in remote areas
- Regular site visits to remote areas for proper management
- High frequency of servicing and troubleshooting demands on site
- Problems caused due to improper management by end-owners to reduce costs.
- End-users lack support for workers performing repairs on the job site.
- Local issues such as theft, vandalism, and protests often hinder the smooth functioning of O & M.
- Some products and parts are not covered by warranties.
- Stress faced by our workers and managers due to frequent travel
- High costs are incurred due to travel, service, repairs, and replacements.
O & M is an indispensable tool for ensuring the optimum functioning of the plant and the maximum generation of power. This is so because as soon as any issue occurs, it gets resolved quickly and efficiently, provided that an efficient O & M system is already in place. It is useful in identifying and resolving the problem, thereby minimizing the downtime due to faults. The entire process is transparent and helps the end-users maximize profitability in the long run.
We provide the best-in-class O & M services and help the end-users maximize the IRR by increasing the longevity of their solar plants. Not only has it enabled us to build and nurture good relations with our customers, but it has also presented us with newer opportunities to expand our business through referrals as our customers are always there to testify to the excellence and efficiency of our work.
Our solar rooftop plants are spread over 12 states in India. With the experience of more than a decade in O & M and a large number of satisfied customers, we offer our services at a non-negotiable fixed price. With our O & M services, we ensure a complete return of investment with a specific payback period.
Innovative Solutions for Efficient O & M
Remote Monitoring Software:
To improve the real-time monitoring of solar plants, we have been working on all components. Highly efficient software for remote monitoring is in progress. It is being designed to cut down on valuable time and high costs spent on field visits.
By adopting the latest technology, we are moving in the direction of string level monitoring. It works in the favour of both the O & M company as well as the end-user as the ultimate goal of ensuring consistent output servers for everyone. It alerts us about any changes in the condition of the plant and reports the detected issues. This ensures the timely resolution of issues with minimum disruption or downtime, thereby preventing the loss of generation.
Robotic Module Cleaning
In India, water scarcity is a pressing issue. It gets even worse during the summer months, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. The accumulation of dust and other particles due to pollution hampers the proper functioning of solar panels and causes the system to underperform. It can reduce the efficiency of the panels by 20 to 30 %, which is almost similar to a cloudy day. In such a situation, robotic module cleaning is the most sustainable and feasible solution.
To cater to our customers with small rooftops, we perform the job with the help of our trained human resources. In the post-Covid time, we hope to witness a hike in the grid traffic due to the presence of low demand and cost-effectiveness. It is also essential for the survival of DISCOMs.
We plan to enter into O & M services on a nationwide scale as there exists a vast untapped market for O & M and automated cleaning solutions in large ground-based utility-scale solar power plants.
An advanced robotic device can serve effectively in such large-scale ground-based utility-scale solar power plants or parks. It is the more feasible option when compared to the conventional manual service done with available hardware options. For the PV cells to operate at their peak efficiency without energy loss, the surfaces of the panels need to be clean. A controlled and automated cleaning process should do an efficient job of keeping the panel surfaces clean to maximize output. The water being sprayed by the robots promotes cooling in the panels. This leads to an increase in the efficiency of the array by 15% to 20%.
The water-less cleaning method using robots cleans the solar modules by blowing, sweeping and vacuuming. These actions remove the dust particles and other environmental waste and debris that gradually gathers and builds upon the surface of the solar modules. Water-less cleaning proves to be highly economical and feasible in all aspects of the O & M services. The solar industry has witnessed tremendous growth over the last few years. Ideally, the demand for plant cleaning and maintenance services should have increased proportionally, but that is not the case as it remains relatively unchanged. This is because manual cleaning continues to be the norm in many large-scale solar parks in India. Buckets, soaps, and, in some cases, fire truck hoses are still the preferred tools for cleaning. Undoubtedly, these result in non-specific and inefficient cleaning. This indicates that the O & M services for solar panels in India are still awaiting a revolution. The market is highly promising and untapped. We see the present situation as an opportunity for us to introduce the revolutionary robotic module cleaning technique.
