What services do you at Envaris provide?
Stefan Wippich: At the core of our services is the maintenance of photovoltaics installations. We mostly provide monitoring services to the operators and assist them with the regular maintenance. But we also increasingly get requests for repairs, for instance of damage resulting from severe weather as well as repowering or refitting.
Are the installation operators the only ones who commission you?
No. On top of operators, there are the manufacturers of panels, inverters, storage units and other components such as cables and connectors. These areas continue to have more or less significant issues that need to be addressed.
What tasks that people expect of you as a service provider that you cannot do provide?
As a service provider we strive to take care of as much as possible so that our customers have nothing to worry about. If we receive specific requests for cleaning a solar array, repairing inverters or PV panels that we cannot take care of on site, we pass those on to partner companies.
In your opinion, what characterises good service? What standards of quality are important?
The way we see it, reliability and speed are key factors, because losses of yield are usually at stake. We always take the concerns of our customers seriously, especially when dealing with a refit and the original components are no longer available. This is where solid customer service is important, particularly as the trust in the solar industry is damaged. Generally speaking, both private and commercial customers simply want to see their issues dealt with in a professional manner, even if that may sometimes not be that easy. A good service provider needs to be able to do that.
How important are efficient procedures both in after sales and Q&M services?
Procedures are a crucial part of what we do. A well-planned service assignment or structured regular maintenance is half the battle. But creativity, flexibility and a high degree of ability to solve problems are also part and parcel of our business. Especially if the weather puts a spanner in the works or products are simply no longer available. At this point, it becomes apparent how good a service provider really is.
Where do you at Envaris see future areas of growth?
We see maintenance, repair and repowering as a major area of growth. On the one hand, the existing equipment is becoming older and more vulnerable. On the other hand, a large number of photovoltaic systems continue to be built. Due to the volume of existing plants and new providers of new construction, service can also increasingly develop into a separate sector. This is a process of professionalisation that will benefit our market in the long term. Especially against the background of the increasing complexity of installations and systems. With storage and e-mobility, new demands are also being made on the service provider
How important is repairing to you at Envaris?
This is a issue that is on the rise. All the more so as a lot of equipment is out of warranty or manufacturers have disappeared from the market. Envaris only repairs panels and inverters on site. If these are so defective that they cannot be repaired on site by our trained service staff, we cooperate with our specialist partners. They repair the inverters or, for example, replace the connector socket on the panels. Whether and to what extent repair makes sense is always decided on a case by case basis. Depending on the initial situation, it may be sensible to sell old products via the second-hand market, for example through the online marketplace Secondsol
And what about repowering? Is this segment growing?
In the next few years, repowering will continue to increase. As the products become older and older, the map of profitability is redrawn every year. Whether or not this will ever become a major sector also depends on the political context. Currently, there are clear and unambiguous regulations. If the situation were to relax, operators would surely change their point of view. We could then build even better installations in the good locations. (HS)
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Read more on PV in Europe:
http://www.pveurope.eu/News/Planning-Operation/Damaged-solar-modules-repair-or-rebuild
http://www.pveurope.eu/News/Markets-Money/Solar-advice-Protect-your-investment-by-monitoring
