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The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has launched an operations and maintenance (O&M) working group that will be open to the entire association’s membership for the purposes of “standardising O&M contracts and set service expectations”.
The SEIA decided to launch this group to start a conversation about issues that are “critical” to US solar continuing to be a successful energy disruption, according to Jimmy Bergeron, vice president of O&M for SolarCity and newly-installed chair of the O&M working group:
“The topics we’re going to discuss in this group are critical to the industry’s success and I’m eager to help facilitate that conversation,” said Jimmy Bergeron, vice president of operations and maintenance for SolarCity and chair of the O&M working group. “I’m hopeful we will see advancement in the creation of reasonable contracts, defining a benchmark for quality O&M, as well as taking on any other topics which our members want addressed. We’re looking forward to learning from the collective knowledge that SEIA members bring to the table.”
SEIA is hoping to collate a group of essential industry insights; and membership is open to installers, owners, service providers and operators. The overarching aim of the group is to create a consistent standard for O&M contracts and services. This will be done primarily by educating consumers on addressing issues of reliable production of electricity from modules and how to keep such equipment properly maintained.
Integrated solar asset manager Alectris was also selected as a member of the new working group.
“Alectris has been involved in the standardisation efforts in the solar O&M industry for quite some time, working with SunSpec, NREL and leading the O&M task force for our ‘across the pond’ neighbor, SolarPower Europe,” an Alectris spokesperson told PV Tech.
