There's a lot of conflicting information on the web around solar maintenance - some say it should need no maintenance at all, we feel thats a bit of a misleading statement. Below we will try and lay out the facts for you.
Solar PV systems are complex, with plenty of components often in a constant state of operation. Parts wear, birds nest - there are always issues which, caught early, are simple and relatively low cost fixes. Like anything though, without regular maintenance - simple faults can turn into costly issues.
Asset Lifespan
There is absolutely no doubt that regular servicing maintains the lifespan of any asset. Take a car, without regular servicing that car will break a lot quicker than the equivalent that has stuck to the manufacturer servicing schedule. The same is true with solar, regular proactive maintenance ensures components are maintained to a high standard and prevents more coslty issues down the line.
Insurance
Insurers have historically been a bit slow to catch on with roof top solar arrays. More recently though there has been a significant focus on maintenance with insurers becoming very hesitant about offering cover if there is no archival inspection reports. From their perspective, customers are asking for buildings to be insured with what might be a huge fire risk sitting on top of it.
Currently there is very little in terms of framework for annual inspections set by the insurers, we expect that to change in the near future and are working with our industry colleagues to lead this.
Warranty
Most reputable solar manufacturers offer warranties of up to 25 years on certain parts, but this is very much dependent on customers being able to demonstrate service history. With no demonstrable service history, manufacturers are perfectly within their rights to void their warranties, potentially leading to significant bills.
Performance
There is absolutely no doubt that a lack of proactive maintenance will be significantly detrimental to the performance of the system. Just one incident of down time can be significantly costly in terms of lost generation - often way more than the cost of a servicing contract!
The days of installers selling a system on the premise of 'fit and forget' are rather behind us. We always suggest, as a minimum, that clients conduct an annual inspection on the system. This will mitigate many of the issues we have discussed above - maintain your warranty, satisfy insurers and most importantly... make sure if is actually generating some electricity!
For more information, or to discuss anything with our team - please get in touch