Operation and Maintenance Plan and Glossary for PV Systems
Overview
One important component for establishing sustainable models for the usage of photovoltaic systems and solar energy installations exists in Operation and Maintenance (O&M). Continuous functioning, lowering of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and reduction of electronic waste are ensured by frequent O&M of all energy producing installations. Several challenges exist that render the O&M for energy access technologies complex in displacement settings, from the existence of language barriers among refugees, weak presence of solar companies, to the low profitability of operations in camps and settlements.
The Operation and Maintenance Plan for Off-grid Solar Systems covers preventive maintenance, best use practices, and common malfunctions and defects experienced for the O&M of pico-solar PV systems, solar home systems (SHS) (including component-based SHS) and solar water pumps. The O&M Plan covers the following sections:
Worksheet |
Description |
MP_PicoPV |
Maintenance plan for Pico PV systems (<10W to 15W) |
MP_SHS |
Maintenance plan for Solar PV systems (10W - 350W) |
MP_Pump |
Maintenance plan for Solar Water Pump (SWP) System |
Warranties |
Typical warranty terms for Pico PV, Solar Home Systems (including component based and street lights), and Solar Water Pumps |
Frequent Malfunctions |
List of frequent malfunctions disaggregated by application, cause, maintenance action and resources required to complete recommended action |
Protocols |
This tab contains information applicable to all the applications, consisting of the following tables:- |
Glossary of Terms Used in the Operation and Maintenance of Off-Grid Solar System
The Glossary of Terms aims at cataloguing the most common terms utilized in the context of off-grid solar systems (components, storage applications, operation and maintenance). The terms in this glossary are also mapped against different stages of product or system lifecycle. To see a description of the individual sections, please see the table below:
Worksheets |
Description |
Glossary |
The list of terms are defined in the context of : |
Sources |
The definition of the terminology is derived from a combination of sources, which are listed under this table. |
Filters for Sub-group |
List of Applications and Related Services |
Product / System Lifecycle |
|
Stages |
MAN: Manufacturing |
OPN: Operation | |
MAI: Maintenance | |
EOL: End-of-Life | |
All off-grid solutions |
|
Solar products and systems |
Solar Lanterns |
Solar Home Systems (SHS) | |
Solar Pumping Irrigation System (SPIS) | |
Rooftop Solar PV System (RSPV) | |
Solar Street Lights | |
Off-grid Storage |
Solar batteries - Lithium Ion |
Solar batteries - Lead Acid, Flooded / Valve Regulated | |
Fuel generators |
Diesel Generators |
Petrol Generators | |
Components |
Solar PV panel |
Solar inverter | |
Charge controller | |
Battery | |
Balance of system (cables, connection box, protective equipment, etc.) | |
Financial services for solar products |
Pay-as-you-go |
Voucher based payment | |
Micro-credit |
Tools developed by Raluca Dumitrescu and Daniel Philipp from MicroEnergy Consult for GIZ Energy Solutions for Displacement Settings (ESDS)
Partners
GIZ's Energy Solutions for Displacement Settings (ESDS) project cooperate with UNHCR to enhance the access to sustainable energy in displacement contexts, and the Energypedia page has been created to share learnings across various practitioners to spur the development of clean energy solutions.
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