As an inspector of PV installations you mostly deal with the more unpleasant aspects of the solar sector: with damage, losses in yield and surely also a lot of conflict. What comes to your mind if the word maintenance is mentioned?
Christian: Maintenance – should definitely happen. But usually does not. PV installations were often sold as requiring no maintenance at all. Of course, it never works that way. A PV installation will never be zero-maintenance. Low-maintenance at best. Many of them are never looked at again once they were installed.
What exactly do you understand as maintenance?
Christian: In very general terms, maintenance serves the purpose of maintaining the usability of a technical product and is carried out according to general technical regulations and specific requirements laid down by the manufacturer. And for a PV installation: What can/should the operator do or what can/should he commission an experienced expert to do, in order to keep the installation running properly over a period of 20 or more years as well as get it operable again and running safely once defects or damage has occurred.
How important is it to find defects quickly?
Christian: A distinction has to be made between defects that, on the one hand, ‘only’ affect yield and thereby lower the profits generated by the installation, but do not impact safety, and can therefore be ignored if repairing them is not economical and, on the other hand, those defects that are relevant to the safe operation and have to be fixed in order to prevent further damage.
How do you motivate yourself to do this difficult job?
Christian: Difficult is a relative term: There are also simple cases where the defects are obvious. But I also love the challenge of the difficult and tricky cases: It makes me happy because what I do is what it takes to get a defective PV installation up and running again. Sometimes that is like solar detective work! (HS)
What was new at the Intersolar 2018 in Munich? Watch our expert’s movies here:
http://www.pveurope.eu/Videos/pv-Guided-Tours-videos-2018
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