Monday, August 24, 2015

Solar O&M is All About the Response

When your solar farm is confronted with unexpected obstacles, how your operations and maintenance (O&M) service company respond means everything!
While the sun may have set for the day, solar O&M technicians and employees work tirelessly around the clock to provide clients with 24/7/365 availability and access to on-site first response and emergency service. In theory that all sounds well and good, but is it just a great marketing message or do you have it guaranteed and in writing?
While an O&M provider can offer each client the convenience of a state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC), without any guaranteed response times, energy is being lost and there’s nothing you can do about it except maybe fix the issue yourself. Knowing there’s an issue with the solar array and getting something done about it are two different things.
Be Sure to Get Guaranteed Response Times
In your O&M agreement there should be a section outlining and guaranteeing response times for various situations. Without such guarantees, nothing motivates a provider to fix the solar array problem. You certainly don’t want to wait until, well, whenever they get the chance.
Guaranteed response times and services provided should be detailed for different sets of operating challenges. For example, should an operator detect an anomaly or a monitoring system send out an alert, the O&M service company should respond via phone within 12 hours of initial contact. Depending on the anomaly, they should also perform any necessary on-site emergency visits in less than 24-hours for critical repairs and replacement solutions.
What Does Your Contract Include?
At the start of every contract, Miller Bros Solar (MBS) provides our clients with a list of direct contacts to call in cases of system trouble, ensuring constant client communication.
While MBS makes certain to operate and maintain PV systems utilizing the best industry practices, products, means and methods, some systems experience challenges above and beyond anyone’s expectations. With years of experience servicing and repairing solar photovoltaic equipment, MBS technicians pinpoint the problem, investigate possible root causes and repair the failed equipment in an a very effective and efficient manner.
Our Services Include:
• On-site/Remote Monitoring and Mitigation – Working together to identify issues allows for rapid response to action in whatever capacity is needed.
• Proactive and Reactive Repair & Equipment Replacement (Planned and Unplanned) – Through our network of trained units, MBS is able to service your site and get your system back on-line, whether it is routine system maintenance or an unplanned system failure.
• Original Manufacturer’s Warranty Enforcement – Warranty enforcement enables MBS to further protect you and your investment by holding the manufacturer and original installer responsible for the proper installation, functionality, and life cycle of your equipment.
Miller Bros. Solar (MBS) is a chosen leader in operations and maintenance (O&M) solutions due to the company’s project expertise, full construction capabilities, and 160+ pieces of heavy equipment. MBS is one of the few electrical contractors that can simultaneously self-perform multiple utility scale solar projects while exceeding client expectations, controlling costs and adhering to timelines and customer schedules.
Miller Bros. Solar provides O&M services for solar projects in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Ohio, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
For more information, visit http://millerbrossolar.com or call 610-832-1000.

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