With the start of the active season for the use of power plants, experts warn about the most common maintenance mistakes and advise what measures to take to protect yourself from the biggest “enemies” of solar modules: hail and strong winds that accompany warm season storms.
Proper preparation
“Intense storms and strong winds can threaten solar power plants, and hail is one of the most dangerous elements, as it can not only scratch, but also completely damage the modules. However, losses can be reduced with proper preparation,” says Julius Areška, head of Enefit’s private customer segment.
According to him, in order to ensure that the solar power plant is as little damaged by natural elements as possible, it is first of all important to make sure that the selected structure of the solar power plant is installed with high quality and will not be damaged by strong winds.
“There are cases when we recommend that customers consider installing additional safety measures, such as wind boards on the existing structure, especially if people live in extremely windy areas or the solar power plant is installed on a horizontal or sloping roof that does not have any barriers to protect against the wind,” – says the expert.
According to him, this is a fairly rare solution, applied when the solar module is mounted at a non-standard angle, pointing it towards the side that would generate energy most efficiently.
Encourages not to overdo it with care
According to the expert, although people often look forward to maintenance work after winter and look for ways to take care of their solar power plants, overdoing it can be more dangerous than neglecting it.
“Sometimes we joke that the best maintenance of a solar power plant is no maintenance, so when spring approaches, customers are wondering what work they should plan, how to clean the modules, we suggest just relaxing and waiting for the generation curve on the smart app to start rising when the sun starts to shine,” says he.
The experts of “Elektrum Lietuva” second him, who say that solar power plants do not require a lot of maintenance – after all, they do not have any rotating or other moving parts.
“The only periodic maintenance required is to check that the solar modules are clean, not contaminated with dust or pollen, and not covered by leaves. In practice, we see that this is rarely necessary, as the modules clean themselves perfectly due to rain when the angle of inclination of the modules is greater than 10 degrees in relation to the plane”, they comment.
According to J. Areška, solar modules need to be cleaned only if leaves or bird droppings have fallen on them, which are not washed away by the rain. However, even in that case, the work should be done very carefully, using the softest possible sponge, distilled water or glass cleaner.
“Cleaning with the wrong chemical means can damage the photomodule film, which will accelerate wear. Attempts at self-prevention can have a negative impact or damage to the plant – even one seemingly small scratch can damage the entire plant, and if overdone, its capacity can be reduced by up to 80 percent. Most of the dirt is removed when it rains, and in case of more serious problems, we always encourage you to contact specialists,” he advises.
According to the expert, the biggest danger for solar power modules is dents, which can also appear when the surface is pressed excessively during cleaning.
“There is a risk of microcracks appearing – they are invisible to the naked eye, but they immediately reduce the efficiency of the power plant, and at the same time increase its payback time,” he warns.
Regular maintenance is important
In summer and autumn, the expert also calls for the removal of dry or flammable vegetation from the modules, which can become a source of fire, especially when there has been no precipitation for a long time.
“It is also important to monitor the temperature of the solar plant to ensure that it does not exceed a safe level.” Although fires caused by wear and tear in electrical installations are extremely rare, high temperatures can increase the risk, especially if there are voltage or other problems,” he says.
The expert advises owners of solar power plants to install an app on their smartphones that allows them to monitor the operation of the power plant’s inverter, analyze its data and remotely diagnose potential problems.
“This allows us to respond quickly to any deviations or faults in the inverter’s performance, thus ensuring the efficiency and longevity of the solar plant,” he says.
Tags: Solar power plant maintenance spring experts owners mistakes
