Is your current O&M provider doing what they should be?

By Darren Lewis | 8-5-25

When a solar farm is commissioned, the focus often shifts from construction to performance, and that’s where your operations and maintenance (O&M) provider should take the wheel. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: not all O&M providers are equal. Some disappear after installation, leaving systems to drift below spec. Others offer a ‘tick-box’ service with no real accountability.

So, how can you tell if your current provider is protecting your asset or just babysitting it?

Here are the key signs your O&M provider isn’t doing their job and what to do about it.

1. You’re not seeing regular, meaningful reports

You should be getting monthly or quarterly reports that go beyond surface-level stats. If you’re only seeing total output and availability rates, ask yourself:

• Are faults being logged and acted upon?

• Are performance benchmarks being tracked year-on-year?

• Are you seeing trends, not just snapshots?

Good O&M is proactive. Reporting should include predictive maintenance indicators, site photos, component-level data, and notes on vegetation, security, and cable health.

2. Your site performance is drifting — and no-one can tell you why

Even a well-installed system will degrade slightly over time. But if you’re noticing dips in output, unexplained inverter downtimes, or inconsistent generation during peak sunlight hours, your provider should be sounding the alarm, not you.

If your O&M partner can’t give a straight answer when performance dips, they’re not monitoring correctly.

3. They’re only visiting when something goes wrong

Scheduled site visits are a cornerstone of good O&M. Visual inspections, thermographic imaging, IV curve tracing are routine checks that catch issues before they become expensive faults.

If your provider isn’t physically inspecting the site on a regular schedule (and giving evidence of it), they’re running a passive service, and that’s risky.

4. SLAs and response times are slipping

Your contract likely includes service level agreements (SLAs) around fault response times, resolution times, and scheduled maintenance. If you’re chasing updates, getting slow responses, or seeing the same issues reoccur, something’s off.

A good O&M provider should be transparent, responsive, and operate with discipline. You’re paying for precision not excuses.

5. You’re doing the chasing

Let’s be blunt: if you’re the one spotting anomalies on the monitoring platform, asking about overgrown vegetation, or checking meter readings yourself, then you’re doing their job.

A professional O&M partner should be ahead of the game. They should contact you with updates, alerts, and solutions, not the other way around.

So what can you do?

If you’re unsure about the quality of your current O&M provider, here are a few steps you can take:

• Request a full performance audit. A third-party review can identify gaps in care.

• Review the SLAs in your contract. See what’s actually being delivered — and what’s missing.

• Ask for historic fault data and inspection logs. If they can’t provide them, that’s a red flag.

• Consider switching. Most contracts allow for transitions, and a good O&M partner will onboard your site with minimal disruption.

Ready for a change?

At Solar Group Utilities, we specialise in post-construction care for ground mount solar. We’re not an EPC. We focus purely on long-term performance, proactive fault management, and detailed reporting so your asset runs efficiently for years to come.

If you’re not convinced your site is being properly looked after, get in touch. We’ll give you a straight answer and a roadmap for getting more from your solar investment.

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