Alinta Energy
Maintenance audit of 60MW solar farm
Enhar undertook a maintenance review of a remote 60MW solar farm in a dusty environment in Western Australia.
Key Achievements:
- Meticulous and comprehensive on-site inspection and audit of maintenance program.
- Provided recommendations to improve maintenance process to optimise performance and reduce repair costs.
- Incorporated KPIs aligned with the projects goals and objects.
Impact
- Detailed inspection of the solar farm site to identify potential maintenance issues, safety hazards, and compliance gaps and recommendations provided for addressing them proactively.
- Completed full maintenance audit provided and recommendations on an improved maintenance strategy for optimal system availability and performance.
- Provided recommendations to streamline maintenance processes, implement preventive maintenance measures, and improve documentation and reporting procedures to reduce repair costs and minimise downtime.
- Proposed plan for frequency of cleaning that strikes balance between optimal power output and water-usage in a dusty environment.
- Thorough review of the performance guarantee clauses and recommendations provided to strengthen the guarantee by incorporating key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with the project's goals and objectives.
Project Scope
Enhar was requested to review the existing maintenance program and provide potential upgrades or improvements that would enhance the performance of the solar farm with the goal of minimising downtime, reducing repair costs and maximise the overall system availability and performance of the solar farm.
This required an analysis on of the maintenance program including frequency and effectiveness of each specific protocol. Based on the findings Enhar would provide recommendations to optimise the maintenance methodology, streamline the maintenance processes, implement preventive maintenance measures and improve the documentation and reporting procedures.
Project Details
The 60MW solar farm is operational at Alinta Energy's new generation facility at the Fortescue Metals Group’s Chichester Hub iron ore operations in Western Australia. Enhar performed a detailed inspection and audit of the solar farm site, covering various aspects such as equipment condition, cable management, safety protocols, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
The Enhar team identified potential maintenance issues, safety hazards, and compliance gaps, and provided recommendations for addressing them proactively. It's critical to be proactive to preventing potential issues from escalating into major problems and ensuring the long-term reliability and performance of the solar farm.
Project Challenges
- Extreme dust in the environment causes challenge for equipment operation.
- Striking right balance of water usage to keep the panels clean and operating effectively.
- Aligning complex metrics, project goals and compliance.
Need advice on a project?
We're here to help.
Our mission is to raise the standard of the solar and smart energy sector through excellence in project development, engineering and quality management.
