Is your solar O&M ready for autumn?

Darren Lewis | 22/8/2025

As the summer rush fades and we head into autumn, it is the perfect time to take stock of your solar asset performance. September is often overlooked in the operations calendar, but at Solar Group Utilities, we treat it as a crucial moment for preparation, insight and forward planning.

Why September matters

This time of year brings shifting light conditions, increased rainfall, falling leaves and temperature drops — all of which can affect solar farm performance. But it is not just about the weather. It is also about building resilience for the months ahead and protecting your year-end yield.

What we look at in September

At SGU, we use this period to review, fine-tune and futureproof. That includes:

• Clearing vegetation before autumn growth and leaf fall become a problem

• Running full system health checks on inverters, cabling and monitoring equipment

• Comparing summer yield data with predicted performance and identifying patterns

• Auditing site security and checking all fencing and access controls ahead of darker evenings

• Revisiting reporting and SLA expectations with clients to make sure we’re aligned going into Q4

Getting ahead of seasonal disruption

Autumn and winter present a different set of operational risks — from pooling water and mud access issues to higher wind speeds and lower light angles. Our engineers are trained to spot the early signs and take preventative action, not just reactive fixes.

That means your site stays safe, your output stays consistent, and you avoid the last-minute costs that can come from poor planning.

Thinking beyond the quarter

We use September not just to protect assets, but to spot opportunities. Whether it is improving string-level reporting, trialling drone inspections, or upgrading communications infrastructure, this is the window we use to get strategic.

Because at SGU, we don’t just manage solar farms, we help them evolve.