Maintaining your PV System

With very little maintenance, your new PV system is going to last a long, long time; up to 25 or 30 years. In that time, a 2 kWp system will generate over 37000 kWh and prevent 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. That is an incredible amount of energy savings that is also environmentally friendly.

Solar panels do degrade in efficiency over time, so all panel warranties will specify that the panel will still produce a percentage of its theoretical peak power generation at the end of the warranty period. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to halt that degradation, but panels can still produce 80% or more of their theoretical peak power after 20 or 25 years.

Most solar panels sold these days come with 20 to 30 year warranties, while the inverter, meter and batteries will typically have a two to three year warranty. It is also important to confirm the warranty that your installer provided for the installation itself.

A grid-tied PV system has almost no maintenance associated with it. About all you need to do is keep the panels free and clear of debris and dirt accumulation, and have the electrical system and wiring inspected by an electrician periodically.

A battery-tied PV system, however, does require more maintenance because of the batteries themselves. A battery that is not properly maintained will have a much lower charging efficiency and will reduce the energy savings of your PV system. 'Wet' Lead-acid batteries need to have distilled water added to them about every month or so, while gel or glass-mat sealed batteries do not require this. Both lead-acid and NiMH batteries can be periodically 'conditioned', which is a process where the batteries are discharged and then charged again in a very specific fashion such that their internal chemistry is renewed to close to it's original condition. This will only extend the life of your batteries however, not preserve them indefinitely.

All batteries have a finite life span, measured in charge/discharge cycles. What this means is that there are only so many times you can charge a battery; after that it will refuse to hold a charge. Worse than that, discharging the battery more fully each time reduces the number of times you can charge it back up again. This is why your battery system will have a much higher energy storage capacity than you might think it needs; it prevents the batteries from being discharged to deeply and extends their life.

Some batteries are designed to be deep discharged, but are usually more expensive as well. No matter what type of battery your system uses however, you will have to replace them after five to seven years. Once again, your installer will be able to give you an idea of the replacement schedule for your particular batteries.

That’s it! Your PV system is installed and running beautifully. We’ll finish off with a little bit of legal stuff and some ways that you can find more information on how to increase your energy savings.

Next: PV System Regulations and Useful Links