Procedures for solar pv plant maintenance

A solar plant once installed is good for 25 years, but that is only possible if it is maintained properly and regularly. These plants have systems with complex technologies which need regular checkups so that they can function efficiently. Thus, regular maintenance is key to the prolonged productivity of any plant.

Common issues that occur in maintenance of solar PV technology:

1.    Natural degradation of the device

2.    Changes in grounding for lightning protection

3.    Cracking of panels

4.    Generation of hotspot on panels

5.    Inverter failure

6.    Plantation/weed growth near panes

7.    Soiling due to harsh winds

These problems are recurring and can be tackled only by regular maintenance. The O&M team sets an action plan to prevent device failure.

Processes involved in solar panel maintenance:

●     Module cleaning - Depending on the environment in which the plant is located or due to bad weather, soli or snow often gets accumulated on solar panels creating an obstruction.This leads to degradation in the performance of the plant resulting in monetary loss. Thus, solar panels are cleaned every fortnight or every week depending on the frequency of dust accumulated. The cleaning process is conducted manually or by automated cleaning systems.

●     Water Drainage - After the solar panels are cleaned, water gets accumulated on the rooftop near the panels, generating moisture resulting in rusting of devices due to oxidation. In large scale solar plants, accumulation of water leads to soil erosion and corrosion of the ground mounted system that comes in contact with it. To tackle this, the O&M teams ensure that the roof drainage is adequate and is not clogged, to prevent water pooling. The issue of erosion in large solar plants is addressed by practicing farming on the land below the solar panel. This activity holds the soil and utilizes the water and land better.

●     Vegetation Control - Many solar plants have unwanted weeds or plants growing in the premises which contributes to shading losses, hot spot creation, infestation of insects and snakes, growth of skin diseases and accidental fire in the plant. Thus, regularly mowing the weed is absolutely necessary. The removal of the weed can be done by hiring labour, spraying weedicide, using a weed cutting machine, using boiling water or use of propane torch.

●     Module testing - Fluctuation in temperature, bad weather, hail stone or just ignorance to maintenance can cause faults in modules. And the only way to detect the problem is by conducting daily, quarterly and annual checks. Daily checks involve monitoring the inverter display to ensure that it is working correctly and that the green light is on. Monthly and quarterly checks involve cleaning of the panels, but annual checks are more detailed and involve thorough check up of the entire system. As solar PV technology has evolved over the years, so has the technology that is used for its maintenance. Devices like irradiance metres, IR cameras, IR thermometer, flash testing, EL testing and infrared imaging are used for solar PV module testing and maintenance.  

These steps are a part of the O&M process which is altogether a much bigger operation involving remote monitoring, data collection and plant analysis. Panels are the heart of the plant and its regular maintenance will help achieve prolonged profitability.