aleo solar GmbH
| Marius-Eriksen-Straße 1 | 17291 Prenzlau | Germany |
info@aleo-solar.com
Installation manual Ver. 4.8, 05/2021, en
Page 17 of 20
11 For operators: maintenance
Inspect and maintain your system to:
-
keep it safe and reliable,
-
achieve top output,
-
prevent damage and,
-
protect your investment.
aleo solar recommends carrying out regular inspections and
maintenance so that any problems can be discovered reliably, and
rectified.
RECOMMENDATION
aleo solar explicitly recommends annual inspections and a more
thorough inspection and measurement every 4 years.
We also recommend the use of a monitoring system to identify
any outages or problems quickly.
Inspecting the output of your photovoltaic system regularly can
help to discover problems promptly, and ensures your photo-
voltaic system operates at top performance, preventing loss of
output.
For the proper maintenance and repair of your aleo solar pho-
tovoltaic system, contact your aleo solar dealer or get in touch
with aleo solar directly (see chap. 2.2: „Contact“).
11.1 Inspection
aleo solar recommends an inspection every year. This should be a
visual inspection. Refer to chap. 11.3: „Details for the inspections“.
The inspection includes the following aspects:
11.1.1 Inspection of the generator
strings: condition of the insulation and mounting,
condition of the junction box,
condition of the visible connectors,
condition of the earthing conductors,
for direct earthing: connection of the earthing conductors on
the frames,
for indirect earthing: connection of the frames to the sub-
structure and the earthing conductors to the sub-structure,
condition of the mounting system (in peripheral area),
dirt on modules: type and degree of dirt. Clean the compo-
nents, if necessary.
shade circumstances (e.g. from trees or neighbouring houses).
11.1.2 Inspection of the documentation and drawings
check the module string plan,
7
check the inverter's status reports,
determine and archive the annual output,
create and archive the inspection report.
11.2 Review
aleo solar recommends carrying out a thorough review at least
every 4 years. This includes the following work in addition to the
inspection:
measure the characteristics of individual strings (MPP current:
I
MPP
; open-circuit voltage: U
OC
; power output: P
MPP
),
measure the insulation resistance: R
iSO
,
8,9
evaluate the annual power output and compare the data with
earlier readings,
create and archive a review report.
11.3 Details for the inspections
11.3.1 Mechanical inspection
Safety precautions:
Refer to the notes in chap. 6.2.2: „Mechanical safety precau-
tions“.
Work steps:
During the inspection, check that the mechanical connections
are clean, securely fitted and properly intact.
11.3.2 Electrical inspection
Safety precautions:
Make sure you refer to the notes in chap. 6.2.1: „Electrical
safety precautions“.
Work steps:
During the inspection, check that the electrical connections
are clean, securely fitted and properly intact.
Identify any defects or irregularities in the electrical instal-
lation and make a record of them. Then rectify the problem
as quickly as possible.
11.4 Cleaning
Depending on the ambient conditions, modules are likely to get
soiled more or less heavily over time. This can cause reduced out-
put.
Dirt could be:
-
dust, pollen or seed;
-
leaves or twigs;
-
deposits from stable vapour;
-
moss, algae, fungi or bacteria growing on deposits (in
short: biofilms);
-
salt (in coastal regions).
7
Suggestion for external inspectors: perform a spot check to ensure that
the module string plan matches the installation.
8
According to the standard IEC 61215, a photovoltaic module should have
an insulation resistance of at least 40 MΩ/m
2
.
9
Some inverters provide the measured insulation resistance via an inter-
face.
