How Solar Can Save Billions in Revenue Loss Due to Inefficient Maintenance & Underperforming Assets

The solar industry continues to expand on the back of increasing demand for clean energy sources, falling costs of renewable technologies, and supportive government policies and regulations.??

However, the industry is also battling increasing power losses caused by performance and maintenance issues, operational inefficiencies, and extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change.

According to energy market analyst Mercom, the industry faced a $4.6 billion revenue loss ($4696 per MW) in 2023 due to equipment underperformance. A significant portion of this loss stems from system-level faults and issues like inverter failures, combiner box malfunctions, and string outages.

This article explores the top factors causing underperformance and power loss, and how a proactive approach enabled by monitoring, AI tools, analytics, and automation technologies can help solar plant owners and operators address these issues to avoid revenue losses worth billions of dollars.

*Note: The article focuses on performance issues from an operational standpoint, excluding factors like PV module quality / technology and external variables like extreme weather conditions.

Tackling Underperformance and Power Loss with a Proactive Data-Driven Approach

Through continuous monitoring and data-driven tools for swift analysis, investigation, and decision-making, solar operators can identify and resolve issues faster to prevent and significantly reduce equipment underperformance and associated power losses.?

Introduce AI & Process Automation to Address Challenges, Supercharge Plant Operations and Performance

The power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and process automation can further revolutionize the solar industry by addressing existing challenges, generating operational efficiencies, and considerably boosting plant performance.

• Addressing Resource Shortage & Allocation Issues

Automating routine/repetitive tasks can free up staff for more intelligent work, boosting overall productivity and achieving the desired output with reduced reliance on manpower. AI and data-based insights optimize site visits based on need, prioritizing tasks and scheduling maintenance strategically to ensure technicians address the most critical problems first.

• Increased Reliability, Faster Response Times?

Automated alerts enable quicker response to problems and minimize potential damage or power loss, leading to a more reliable and efficient solar plant. AI analyzes 1000s of data points to identify trends and predict potential issues, allowing for proactive maintenance and optimal equipment performance. It acts as a digital assistant for technicians to make data-led decisions from issue detection to resolution.

Towards a more productive and high-performing solar industry

Electricity generation in the solar energy market is projected to be 1.30tn kWh in 2024, and an annual growth rate of 7.31% is expected (2024-2029). By embracing a data-driven, proactive approach empowered by AI and automation, the solar industry can maximize equipment performance and power generation. Ultimately, it can help save billions of dollars in lost revenue and solidify solar's position as a reliable and cost-effective renewable energy source.

At Xempla, we’ve been working with one of Australia’s largest solar O&M providers, managing over 4000 installations from the PoV of Asset Performance Management and Monitoring.?

The introduction of our platform has helped them run a leaner and more cost-effective O&M process that brings the highest quality of after-sales service. Now, targeting a 50% reduction in cost and effort of O&M delivery with domain-specific AI-powered Co-Pilot .

How are you running your solar plant O&M? If it’s an area of concern for you, I would love to know more about your goals and challenges and share insights from our work.

Drop a comment or reach out to me on LinkedIn.

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