This is a question that we get asked regularly at the NSC and a surprisingly high percentage of owners either do not check, or have any way of knowing, how their solar PV system is performing.
The majority of system owners invest in solar PV for financial reasons and under-performing systems can effect the calculations behind those decisions. With financial incentives continually reducing, making the most of your solar PV system is more important then ever, starting with maximising performance.
Manage, monitor, modify, maintain. The NSC are advocating the 4M approach to solar PV systems of all size to ensure that the 10GW of solar installed in the UK is performing as well as it can.
Manage – regular inspections/ scheduled maintenance/ periodic verification
Monitor – fault detection/ data logging/ performance ratio
Modify – string optimisation/ inverter software updates/ component upgrading
Maintain – cleaning regimes/ replacement components/ warranty claims
For more information about the 4M service and independent verification of your systems performing please contact the NSC.