Operations & Maintenance

US installer Sunrun is to trial a new automated solar permitting system as part of a range of cost-cutting projects funded by the Department of Energy.

In early 2015, snow and ice in parts of North America created unexpected problems for solar plant operators. As winter approaches once again, Gwen Bender reflects on the challenges of keeping a project running profitably in harsh weather conditions.

Sustainable energy company SunPower has unveiled a remote operations control centre (ROCC) for monitoring and operating large-scale PV power plants that SunPower holds in the US, including installations that are sold to 8point3 Energy Partners LP, a YieldCo joint venture established by First Solar and SunPower.

Spanish wind power specialist Gamesa is to make its first foray into photovoltaics with the development of 10MW of solar capacity in India.

A year on from its acquisition of monitoring and control firm skytron energy, First Solar has fleshed out further details of the operations and maintenance (O&M) business the two companies are jointly developing.

More than 7.7 million people were employed in the renewables industry in 2014, an 18% rise from 6.5 million the previous year, according to a new report from the International renewable energy agency (IRENA).

European solar power services company Photon Energy claims an emphasis on new business areas including operations and maintenance (O&M), opened up new revenue streams to boost its group performance in the past quarter.

The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has agreed to a partnership with the China PV Investment and Finance Alliance (CPVFA) in order to reach the objective of opening wide-scale and varied sources of investment in PV asset development in China.

Trade body the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) has established a task force to develop best practice guidelines in the field of solar operations and maintenance (O&M).

Borrego Solar has expanded its operations and maintenance service to cover all commercial-scale PV installs.