4 Factors that lead to Solar O&M Success in the Changing US Market

Solar energy needs to be well-maintained in order to perform well. Solar operations and management (O&M) services are responsible for many tasks, like cleaning the system, maintaining solar panels, and monitoring for damage. They also need to collect data.

To understand how well solar systems are performing, all this data must be analyzed. The United States market is changing, so the type of solar O&M services that are most successful are also changing. There are four factors we need to focus on:

1. Visiting operating solar sites.
2. Vendors with skin the game.
3. Digitalized Solar O&M and Asset Management.
4. Speed in Solar Operations and Maintenance.

#1. Visiting Operating Solar Sites

Being able to visit solar sites is one of the most important aspects of success in solar O&M. By visiting, O&M managers can assess issues and come up with possible solutions. In some cases, it may not be possible to visit a solar site in person. COVID-19 has made it difficult to travel for in-person site visits.

In-Person Solar Site Visits

Solar O&M managers can see issues firsthand and make decisions quickly to solve them. They can review the problems and troubleshoot on the spot. However, due to restrictions because of COVID-19, it is not always possible for solar O&M managers to visit the site. In these cases, the solar O&M company will need to find a way to solve the issues remotely. This means relying on local Maintenance Service providers.

Local Maintenance Service Providers

If a solar manager is not able to get on-site, they turn to their local service providers. Having a competent team that can assist the solar O&M manager makes maintenance much easier. Problems with solar equipment need to be reviewed. Local solar service providers can visit in the place of O&M managers. This could involve sending someone out to take pictures or videos of the site. That info is then sent them back to the company for analysis. Whatever the case may be, it is important to have a plan in place for getting someone to a solar site as soon as possible when there are problems.

#2. Solar Vendors with Skin the Game

The solar industry is always changing. New technologies are making it possible for vendors to offer performance guarantees. Service providers are now proactively addressing any issues. This means that the vendors don't have to wait for the solar O&M provider to fix any problems. If there are any problems with the equipment, they get fixed quickly. This also means that the vendors have a bigger stake in making sure that the site is properly operated. If they don't, then they will have to pay damages. This allows owners to focus on other important activities

Performance Guarantees

Service providers can work on the solar site without asking permission from the O&M manager. They have a lot at stake in the solar site working properly. There are penalties if it doesn't meet certain performance levels.

Focusing On Critical Asset Management Activities

Many utility-scale solar sites have hundreds of thousands of solar panels. It would be impossible to keep track of the health of each one. That is why it is important for solar plant owners to make sure their arrays are working well. Vendors who maintain their equipment well allow solar O&M managers to focus on other important tasks that improve the performance of solar power plants.

#3. Digitalized Solar O&M and Asset Management

The solar O&M industry is adapting to data integration and digitalization. This has been a tough sell in the industry. Most solar O&M companies are still using many different systems that don't talk to each other. This makes it hard to get reports for people who need them. To be able to manage operating assets, integrating data from several sites and sources is very important.

Digitalized O&M and Asset Management Platform

A digitalized solar O&M platform provides solar companies with better insight into their operating assets. This is done by monitoring the health of each asset. Doing this is crucial as it ensures that they are running smoothly, safely, and at peak performance levels. By having access to more information in real-time, solar companies can make informed decisions. This is important when it comes to preventing and addressing potential issues.

Having real-time information about your assets can help you avoid costly repairs.Using data analytics, like predictive maintenance for solar sites, can help increase the performance of your solar plant.

You should be asking your solar O&M provider:

• Who manages your site?
• What type of platform do they use?

Your O&M provider should have systems in place that help you:

• Know how your solar assets are performing and what needs to be fixed,
• Reduce the risk of downtime and costly repairs,
• Improve solar plant performance with proactive notifications.

#4. Speed in Solar Operations and Maintenance

Speed is another key to successful solar operations and maintenance. The operations team needs to have:

1. Strong data analytics component to identify issues that cause performance degradation.
2. The ability to quickly dispatch field service. It is also critical to have the right expertise available to be deployed.

Strong Data Analytics

The operations team can quickly identify issues that cause performance degradation by having a strong data analytics component.

• The field service can now be dispatched in a more timely manner to identify and resolve the problem, which will improve efficiency and performance.
• With this software, you will be able to know what is wrong with a system before it breaks. This could potentially save hours for maintenance windows.
• The operations team can now focus on other projects, because the robot can automatically find and report any issues.
• By monitoring data trends, they will be able to isolate errors more quickly than ever before.

Field Service Expertise

You need the right experts in order to have your repairs done quickly and efficiently. By using data analytics, you can identify which field service is needed. Solar developers who have an O&M department within the company ensure that their solar systems are designed properly. Solar asset managers and engineers are aware of all the components in a solar installation and how they work together. This allows them to identify issues quickly and fix them fast. In the end, goodSolar asset management is all about having the right expertise in place so that your solar plants can operate at their best capacity.

Conclusion

If you have a problem with your solar panels, it is best to go and see the people who made them. This way, they can help you fix the problem quickly. Solar panel technology is getting better all the time, and now some companies are even offering guarantees that their panels will work well for a long time. This means that if there are any problems with your solar panels, the company who made them will be responsible for fixing them. However, in order to take advantage of this service, you need to have a very good system for keeping track of how your panels are performing. By using data analytics, operation teams can identify issues causing performance degradation and then dispatch field service representatives accordingly. In this way, everyone involved can be sure that they are getting the most out of their solar panels.

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