We provide all operating, maintenance and repair services, including materials, equipment, labor and supplies, needed to perform such duties. As such, we are responsible for 24-hour monitoring, remote and field troubleshooting of identified issues, and prompt resolution to minimize downtime.
Our preventative maintenance program typically provides annual site visits to each array for visual inspection. If we become aware of a broken piece of equipment, a Melink representative can typically be dispatched to the site within 48 hours. If a PV module is damaged, we can usually replace it during the next scheduled visit with one of the reserve panels we keep at our headquarters.
In between those scheduled visits, we provide customized response depending upon the severity/impact of the individual issue, including next business day response to critical issues. Our experience with solar asset management began with maintenance of systems within our corporate headquarters in 2007, and we expanded that service offering to our customers several years later. Since then, we have become a certified preventative maintenance contractor for Solectria and added a full-time asset manager to our staff. With technicians located across the country, Melink can ensure fast response and top-quality service for all the assets we manage.
No, most solar PV systems are tied to the grid and will shut down when there is a power outage. If the power goes out and the solar PV system is still sending energy back to the grid, the lines would be considered live and could create a dangerous situation for workers repairing them.
For most systems, rainfall is enough to clean solar panels. However, the system may need to be hosed off more frequently if it is located in a particularly dry or dusty area. During the past five years, we have gained significant experience providing operations and maintenance services for the solar PV systems we have installed. We offer this service to clients who do not have the capability or expertise to perform the necessary maintenance themselves.
Sun can penetrate light snow, and the panels will heat up with the sun’s rays to melt the snow. Heavier snow can be removed with a squeegee or panel-safe pole.
To give recommendations on the different renewable and conservation technologies, we initially test them out on our own headquarters office. We have concluded the following advantages of solar:
1) Because it has no moving parts and the modules last at least 25 years, it is one of the most cost-effective renewable sources for generating energy.
2) Solar PV systems can often be easily expanded as your energy needs change, they require little to no maintenance, and they are durable in various weather conditions.
3) Solar-powered buildings can rely less on traditional electricity suppliers and fossil fuels to provide them with energy. Solar PV is good for the environment and a safe way to provide your facility with energy. The solar arrays at our headquarters are the main contributor to our renewable energy goals to achieve Net-Zero energy results.
The amount of CO2 emissions avoided is contingent upon a system’s geographic location, the size and type (ground mount, rooftop, canopy, etc.). Bearing those factors in mind, the production from a 500 kW DC project located on the East Coast of North America can equate to the avoidance of about 473 tons of carbon dioxide a year. This equates to the greenhouse gas emissions of 90 passenger vehicles driven over the course of one year. A system of the same size in Southwest North America can produce enough energy to equate to the avoidance of 670 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
The EPA has created a very effective CO2 avoidance calculator tool for the general public: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
We use only top-tier equipment from reputable manufacturers who have the ability to stand behind their equipment warranties over the life of the systems. We do not chase lowest up-front cost at the expense of long-term performance.
Solar panels are warranted by manufacturers to last 25 years. Considering the panels themselves have no moving parts, they can continue producing enough energy to cover operating costs for up to 35 years or more. Inverters, the equipment that changes the DC power produced by the solar system into the AC power that our appliances and buildings use, have a lifespan of about 15-20 years. After that point, it is expected that new inverters will be installed to take advantage of the remaining life of the panels.
We focus primarily on small- to mid-size commercial projects (500 kW-1 MW) and utility scale projects (1 MW+). We also have experience aggregating multiple smaller systems relating to a single landowner or power off-taker into a single portfolio to achieve reasonable economies of scale.
– Rebalancing in whole or in part after any remodel work to the building.
– Balancing of any HVAC equipment that is replaced or modified.
– Investigation of any air balance-related issues or employee and customer complaints.