As the solar industry booms in Illinois, adding hundreds of megawatts of rooftop, ground mount, and utility scale solar (like community solar and larger projects), there is a growing need for solar operations and maintenance also called ‘Solar O&M’. While solar facilities largely just sit there day in and day out doing their job producing electricity from sunshine, you want to have your solar array checked on an annual basis to make sure it is operating safely and optimally. Josh Richardson of CES will manage the O&M Department for Continental Energy Solutions together with field support from Matt Vester of Continental Electrical Construction Co.
This story from Solar Builder Magazine highlights the missed opportunity when solar facility operators don’t do enough maintenance: Aerial thermography study uncovers $200 million in potential revenue loss for the solar PV industry
If solar arrays break down, the owner cannot reap the financial benefits of solar so it’s a lost opportunity for the asset owner. Here are some highlights of the operations and maintenance service offerings of the solar O&M group:
Continental Energy Solutions Operations & Maintenance Team
Continental’s Operations & Maintenance Team is the clear choice for commercial and industrial (C&I) PV system owners, operators and developers. CES utilizes a highly-skilled team of NABCEP professionals, electricians and engineers skilled in PV in order to handle the day-to-day and year-after-year business of operating and maintaining PV systems to ensure continued peak performance and the financial longevity of your project.
Our team of experts provides the following full, turn-key O&M Services for your PV system with the goal of maximizing your solar investment.
Our Services:
- Active Monitoring with Proactive Response
- CES will actively monitor your PV system utilizing the system’s remote monitoring system. When an issue arises, CES will mobilize to notify the client, diagnose the system and repair the issue remotely or onsite.
- Annual Preventative Maintenance
- CES will perform an annual onsite inspection of your PV system consisting of visual & physical inspections in conjunction with advanced diagnostics procedures. CES will deliver a detailed report of the findings, including recommendations for repair, upkeep and recommended improvements.
- Scope of work for Annual Inspection/ Report includes:
- Manufacturers required maintenance
- Performance Analysis (system wide)
- Performance Analysis (inverter level)
- Visual/ Physical Inspection of all major equipment, cabling and wiring
- Insulation Resistance Testing on applicable PV Circuits
- IV Curve Tracing of PV Source Circuits
- Torque Inspections (Electrical Equipment)
- Torque Inspections (Racking and Modules (spot checks)
- Cleaning of air filters/ heat dissipaters for equipment cooling
- Thermal imaging of all major equipment & wiring terminations
- Exercise all system switches and disconnects and verify proper, appropriate operation
- Verify proper system grounding connections and verify continuity of bonded equipment
- Report Delivery
- Condition-based Maintenance
- CES will dispatch electricians, experienced in PV, to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair any issues, faults or equipment failures that occur within the lifecycle of your system.
- System Performance Evaluation
- CES will remotely analyze system production performance and provide feedback reports. Actual system production will be compared with production modeling software to analyze system performance. If actual system performance deviates notably from expected, modeled production, CES can utilize a combination of remote diagnostics and onsite system inspection/ testing to assist in identifying and correcting any issues causing the deviation in performance.
- Independent System Commissioning
- CES will perform all industry best-practice and manufacturer recommended testing of your new PV system prior to its completion. By utilizing CES’s vast electrical and PV experience, you will ensure that your investment is being built and delivered as promised and that it will deliver the promised energy and financial goals that are intended.
- Warranty Coordination & Fulfillment
- CES will handle of your warranty-related needs by working directly with the equipment manufacturers, providing & processing all needed documentation and completing equipment replacements to ensure that manufacturer warranties are fully honored and upheld.
- Module Soling Analysis & Cleaning Services
- Soiling analysis (clean small, designated section of modules, in order to compare production to entire system)
- CES will perform soling analysis testing on a pre-determined selection of solar modules in order to determine the energy and monetary value of its whole-site cleaning services.
- Vegetation Management Services
- CES will provide vegetation management services to ensure that potential shading and equipment damage do not affect your PV system’s long-term energy production and financial goals.
- Emergency Response Service
- CES provides emergency response service in the case that you cannot wait for a scheduled system maintenance visit.
For pricing OR to find out how we can help you maximize your solar investment by entrusting its upkeep, please contact the CES service department: email or call Josh Richardson jrichardson@cesnrg.com | 224.229.8474 m
Solar array thermal scan