Cleaning and maintaining solar power plants on rooftops and company grounds can increase photovoltaic generation levels by between 5% and 20%, according to data from TTS Energia, a company that operates in the engineering and construction of solar energy projects and other sustainable technologies.
According to the company, continuous monitoring of generation, preventive and corrective maintenance, upkeep of ground areas, and cleaning of solar panels ensure not only greater efficiency and safety but also a higher return on investment for asset owners.
On the other hand, as pointed out by the CEO of TTS Energia, Jacques Hulshof, the absence of adequate maintenance can generate significant production losses, reduce the lifespan of equipment, and even cause serious accidents, such as fires and photovoltaic modules falling on roofs.
The executive points out that, although Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest solar potential in the world, many entrepreneurs still approach the operation and maintenance of their plants with a "install and forget" mentality.
“In practice, O&M (operation and maintenance) should not be seen as a cost but as an investment, since the operation and maintenance phase is the longest in the life cycle of a solar power plant, around 30 years, and plays a fundamental role in the performance and safety of the installations,” he explains.
In addition to reducing risks, this type of service also contributes to optimizing the payback of the systems. “A specialized contract for this service can represent a significant increase in generation and also reduce failures that compromise the return on investment. We have already recorded cases of plants that returned to profitable operation after we took over maintenance,” Hulshof points out.
Most common O&M services for solar power plants
With the advancement of technical knowledge in the sector, O&M services are gaining increasing relevance among entrepreneurs. Although still neglected by some system owners, the segment has grown not only in volume but also in diversity and technical complexity.
Thiago Farias, engineer at CS Consulting — Group company Canal Solar, a company specializing in the commissioning and operation of solar power plants, explains that proper planning and execution of O&M are fundamental to ensuring the performance and financial return of the systems.
"A well-executed O&M prevents generation losses, reduces the risk of failures, and increases system reliability," explains the engineer, emphasizing that activities are usually planned on a 52-week annual schedule.
Farias also points out that among the most common services of O&M These include monitoring and analyzing the plant's key performance indicators (KPIs), such as... performance ratio, Energy Performance Index and the energy and time availability indices.
Furthermore, he highlights the importance of preventive, corrective, and predictive maintenance, which involves a series of technical procedures, such as:
- IV curve tests;
- Visual inspection of equipment and structures;
- Thermographic inspection using drones and handheld cameras;
- Conservation of the drainage system and removal of vegetation from the areas;
- Checking and tightening electrical connections;
- Regular cleaning of photovoltaic modules, inverters, and electrical panels.
O&M for PV plants: concept, importance and most encountered problems
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