Photon Energy Operations has signed preventive maintenancecontracts for 9 MW of Satcon central inverters in Italy and France.With this step the company is fortifying its position as a leadingforce in the services of Satcon-built inverters, which itestablished by taking on key personnel from the formermanufacturer. Photon Energy Operations wants to send a signal toworried investors, that their inverters can still be in safehands.
Amsterdam, 8 Oct - Photon Energy Operations, a division ofglobal lifecycle-oriented power solutions provider Photon EnergyNV, has signed contracts for a wide range of maintenance servicesfor 9 MW of Satcon inverters in Italy and France. Photon EnergyOperations will provide regular preventive checks, serviceinterventions, remote support and technical trainings for localstaff allowing for minor issues to be fixed locally. The serviceswill be carried out by a team of Satcon-trained experts, whobetween them have commissioned over 130 MW of Satcon inverters allover Europe. Thanks to its team of former key Satcon technical andmanagerial personnel Photon Energy has both the know-how and accessto spare parts needed to fully service these criticalcomponents.
„Central inverters are expensive and the first option is tofind a reliable service provider for them, not replace them”,explains Georg Hotar, CEO of Photon Energy.“Given the uncertainty surrounding the service of Satconinverters and warranties, we are pleased to offer a long-termsolution which keeps inverters humming, power plants producing cashflows and gives investors peace of mind”, Hotar continues.
“If central inverters are not given regular check-ups andpreventive maintenance, small failures can cause a domino effectthat can literally blow up the inverters”, explainsPavel Laurinec, Technical Manager Central Inverters atPhoton Energy Operations. “Even a tiny issue such as adirty filter, which is not cleaned or exchanged can trigger furtherproblems such as hot spots and eventually lead to small explosionsthat knock out the inverter completely for several days”,Laurinec elaborates. Central inverter failure does not only meanexpensive repairs, but lengthy downtime and significant revenuelosses.
“A central inverter is the heart of a power plant. What weprovide is a cardio-workout for the inverters to strengthen theirfitness and stamina and ensure that a power plant does not suffer aheart attack any time soon”, says Laurinec. “Satconinverters require specially trained engineers with in-depthknowledge of spare parts. For example there are eight differenttypes of a single component used in Satcon inverters in Europe andyou need to know which component to order and install”,Laurinec adds.
In late 2012 Photon Energy Operations gathered momentum bytaking on former key Satcon employees when the manufacturer’sCentral European offices were shut down in 2012. The team nowincludes managerial and technical experts responsible forinstalling central inverters at projects of 30 MWp and more.“In the past months our experts have been called to one-offservice interventions all over Europe, showing that power plantowners are uncertain about who can service their Satcon invertersonce the manufacturer has closed shop”, says PhotonEnergy CEO Georg Hotar.
PRESS CONTACT
Jan Krcmar
T +420 773 032 182
E jan.krcmar@photonenergy.com
ABOUT PHOTON ENERGY OPERATIONS
Photon Energy Operations provides fully integrated monitoringand O&M services for PV power plants in Germany, Italy,Belgium, Central Europe and Australia as well as a growing numberof other countries. The company currently has over 60 MWp undermanagement and its power plants operate almost entirely with anuptime above 99%, thanks to its advanced monitoring and managementsystem. Photon Energy Operations also offers revenue enhancementservices, uptime & performance guarantees and comprehensiveinsurance solutions. The company is part of Photon Energy Group, aglobal solar power solutions and services company based in theNetherlands.
Even a minor issue can cause a devastating domino effect thatcan blow up a central inverter.
Copyright: Photon Energy
