How Solar and Insurance Are Connected for Home and Business Owners
The Importance of Solar Maintenance
This is something that has come up in the office recently in a couple of forms:
- Colin wrote an excellent email about it as part of a team sharing exercise.
- One of our Clients raised it, in relation to a new commercial install we are doing, to satisfy his curiosity and that of his insurer.
- And then, out of the blue, our own insurance broker called to ask us for some advice in relation to questions he had been asked on the matter.
Yes – we provide solar maintenance service support. It costs money, which affects the whole life costing of an installation, we get that.
But not maintaining your solar site is a calculated risk.
Here are some thoughts that might help you to make that decision. To be clear, we recommend servicing and maintaining your solar installation.
Why should we do it?
Because we may be exposed if we don’t (!).
Check your insurance cover. For commercial sites especially this is becoming a “thing”. And some insurers are pretty prescriptive. It’s not just the cost of the solar, it’s the implications of something going wrong on other aspects of your operation.
Solar installations look benign; they don’t have big wavy things flying about in the air, or an alternator whirring round at 1,500 rpm. Moving parts remind us of what’s going on and we feel more ready to accept the need for maintenance. Just because we don’t see it, doesn’t mean the electrons aren’t flowing. And on bigger schemes there is a lot of juice coming out of those panels.
Things that change their operating condition frequently. Solar panel output can fluctuate quite a lot (think clouds across the sun and then clearing). This can lead to changes in electrical load through cabling and components. This frequent variation over time can lead to thermal cycling which can affect connections from cables and components. Periodic inspection is nothing new, but the harsher the cycling, the more frequent the system should be checked.
What can we do about it?
There are some simple things we can do ourselves, like visual checks.
Are panels moving or have they moved? Are there cables flapping about?
Are they any visual signs of change around the inverter or battery, or any smells that are unusual (depending on the location of the equipment!)?
If any of this seems to be the case, get in touch with your installer, or if they can’t help we’ll be happy to take your call.
Remember: don’t open up electrical appliances unless you are trained to do so and all equipment is isolated.
- Check your insurance docs, see what they say about your solar and insurance requirements.
- If you are thinking about a future install, does your installation make sense from a future maintenance perspective? I.e. the inverter isn’t tucked away up on the corner of the loft where you cannot see it, where it might overheat. Lofts are an easy place to put a solar inverter but not necessarily the best – out of sight, out of mind. And it gets hot up there in summer, the same time your inverter is working its hardest and generating its own heat; this can lead to component failure.
If any of this is of interest to you, or raises questions about your current solar and insurance set-up, then give us a call on 01463 241 069 and we can see how we can help, even if it’s just giving you some pointers in the first instance.
For more of our solar and insurance updates, maintenance guidance and much more, follow Proterra Energy on LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter for our project stories and adventures.