Better Soon Than Never 

Heard about solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for buildings but it sounds very high maintenance? In the age of the ongoing energy crisis, rising operational expenses for businesses, and labour shortage, taking care of solar PV systems can sound like a drag, but the truth is that these systems are a lot lower maintenance than you think! According to PV Magazine USA, the system aging, and new technology enables the requirement to remove and replace part or all of an existing system is being considered and becoming more common. This requirement occurs due to deferred or ignored scheduled maintenance plans.  

Moreover, it’s important to ensure your business has a scheduled maintenance plan as without it, there will be expensive repair costs, extensive downtime and additional resources to manage, where the assets will be added up quickly and rack up the higher costs for your business. As such, having an experienced operation and maintenance (O&M) provider is essential in ensuring your solar PV systems stay in optimum condition and provides you with as little hassle as possible.  

To learn more about all you need to know about the maintenance of a solar PV system, get all the insights from this article below:  

1. Before signing the contract: Know the type of maintenance your building’s solar PV system needs  

2. Is your clean energy solutionist qualified?  

3. How often do solar PV systems need maintenance and how do you tell when it needs maintenance? 

4. What should the comprehensive maintenance cover?  

5. Can I extend or subscribe to the O&M services after the 3-year plan is up? 

6. How will my building be able to track the savings from clean energy? 

7. Customer satisfaction: Sit back, relax, and enjoy the savings! 

Before signing the contract: Know the type of maintenance your building’s solar PV system needs  

The duration of your operation and maintenance (O&M) contract is essential as your building’s solar PV system will not cost extra to get it fixed for a few years. Be sure to ask your clean energy solutionist about what kind of maintenance the contract covers and what kind of arrangement will the solar PV system fall under after the plan is over.  

A standard O&M contract should cover the following for at least three (3) years:  

• Remote Monitoring of the Energy Generated by Your System   
• Product Warranties   
• Defect(s) Liability Period (DLP)   
• Preventive Maintenance Service & Solar Panel Cleaning    

Make sure your maintenance warranties cover inverters, cleaning of solar panels, preventive, workmanship and equipment costs as it is important to have an inclusive maintenance warranty for your building’s solar PV system to save you from paying more.  

Inclusive maintenance service for the solar PV system is crucial to its overall condition, as well as your investment, so you can enjoy the benefits of claiming for repairs and material replacement. 

Is your clean energy solutionist qualified?  

Clean energy solutionists who are EPCCs, which is short for Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning specialists need to have regulatory compliance to operate in Malaysia, as well as be designed by the EPCC so these requirements can be regulated properly and should any issues arise, authorities will be able to step in.  

Certified solutionists will also have their engineers who have been accredited by SEDA, Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) with a grid-connected photovoltaic (GCPV) certificate. 

How often do solar PV systems need maintenance and how do you tell when it needs maintenance? 

Solar PV systems will need to have the solutionist inspect the system a few times during the year, as well as clean it. This is because panels can accumulate dust and dirt depending on the nature of the physical environment of your businesses. However, you do not need to worry as your clean energy solutionist will conduct the necessary annual inspections and arrange cleaning services accordingly.  

If you notice something out of the ordinary, be sure to schedule an appointment with your clean energy solutionist. Not sure what are the signs? Let’s take a look:  

Signs your building solar PV systems need maintenance:   

• If the system has a lot of dirt; tree sap, dust and bird droppings – This can reduce the energy output of the solar PV system, so if you see this, it’s best to call your solutionist to get help cleaning the panels.  
• If the red light on the inverter is blinking – Check if there is an error code on the system’s display, this is when you should call your clean energy solutionist.  
• If the energy generation of your savings has dropped significantly – Should the energy generation in KWh be lower than usual, consult your clean energy solutionist for the next steps.  
• If there are any error codes that come up on the remote monitoring system of the solar PV system. Your building may have received an energy monitoring system along with the solar PV system. To check for error codes on this system, you can refer to the online interface of the inverter, the energy performance management system, or by conducting an online search of the inverter manufacturer to check the following:  
  1. The kilowatt (the unit to measure energy) that is supplied to your building and/or the grid at the time.  
  2. The kilowatt hour that has been produced so far for the day.  
  3. The kilowatt that was produced since its’ installation.  

What should the comprehensive maintenance cover?  

In addition to the items mentioned above on what you need to ensure your solutionist provides under the standard O&M contract, make sure the maintenance warranties cover inverters, cleaning of solar panels, preventive, workmanship and equipment costs, as well as equipment warranty and replacement. Also, be sure to check with your clean energy solutionist provides thermal imaging which is designed to detect the defects in the solar PV system which can be easily fixed when detected early enough.  

While there are providers who assure you of the maintenance warranties for the solar PV panels on top of the affordable package, they are already providing for your building’s solar PV system, keep the rest of your system and these factors in mind as an inclusive maintenance warranty is necessary to save you from paying a lot more. 

What should the comprehensive maintenance cover?  

In addition to the items mentioned above on what you need to ensure your solutionist provides under the standard O&M contract, make sure the maintenance warranties cover inverters, cleaning of solar panels, preventive, workmanship and equipment costs, as well as equipment warranty and replacement. Also, be sure to check with your clean energy solutionist provides thermal imaging which is designed to detect the defects in the solar PV system which can be easily fixed when detected early enough.  

While there are providers who assure you of the maintenance warranties for the solar PV panels on top of the affordable package, they are already providing for your building’s solar PV system, keep the rest of your system and these factors in mind as an inclusive maintenance warranty is necessary to save you from paying a lot more. 

How will my building be able to track the savings from clean energy? 

To track and justify the ROI of the solar PV system to your stakeholders, you can also implement an energy monitoring device to view, monitor and track the savings for better energy management.  

If you are interested in implementing an energy monitoring device for your building, feel free to refer to Plus Xnergy’s tech solutions, that’s designed for your business to monitor energy savings, lower energy cost in key areas and gain insights for better business performance.  

Customer satisfaction: Sit back, relax, and enjoy the savings!   

Now, with all these new factors about maintenance, rest assured that your business is in good hands once you complete registering with the clean energy solutionists. Your business can enjoy energy bill savings after it has completed installation. Stay worry-free about your solar PV system by contacting your solutionist should any concerns come up.  

Maintenance can seem daunting which is why Plus Xnergy provides services ranging from remote monitoring of the system to preventive maintenance are all provided to ensure your business’ solar journey remains hassle-free.  

After over 10 years of being in the clean energy industry, we provide comprehensive after-sales service for our clients to ensure their systems are well taken care of. We’ve had the pleasure of serving clients across 50+ industries all over Malaysia, such as Jooi Brothers, a leader in footwear, who chose to work with us because of our after-sales service:  

“We chose Plus Xnergy as we were pleased with their presentation and the after-sales service package.” 

• Mr. Lim Kok Huang, General Manager, Syarikat Perusahaan Jooi Bersaudara Sdn Bhd. 

To get more details about our maintenance services for solar PV systems designed for commercial or industrial buildings, contact us at [email protected]     

About Us 

Plus Xnergy Holding is a group of companies that devotes itself through providing solutions in line with the Energy Trilogy, which consists of Energy Generation, Energy Efficiency and Energy Storage.  

Committed to reinventing energy, the group has both Plus Xnergy Services (“PXS”, formerly known as "Plus Solar Systems"), and Plus Xnergy Edge Technologies (“PXET”) as subsidiaries, one arm to provide turnkey solar solutions and to go beyond solar, exploring battery storage, and the other arm to provide AIoT energy solutions.  

Collectively, the group has generated energy savings of over 1,200 GWh from clean energy and AIoT that spans across 50+ industries. 

Plus Xnergy Services has completed over 250MWp of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for notable clients such as Boh Tea, Chek Hup, IKEA, Jooi Brothers, Khind, LY Furniture, Mah Sing Plastics, Secret Recipe, UWC and more.  

Plus Xnergy Services oversees subsidiaries Plus Xnergy Micro (“PXM”) and Plus Xnergy Asset (“PXA”), one arm that provides Malaysia’s first rent-to-own solar programme to consumers and the other arm that is an asset management company to invest in assets within and beyond Malaysia.  

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Info Sources  

1. PV Magazine USA: Solar O&M: Why a long-term maintenance plan is essential  

2. Consumer advocacy group in Australia - CHOICE  

3. Maintworld - Inspecting solar panels with thermal imaging