Electricity and Control June 2025

Renewable energy + industrial sustainability: Products + services

Ensuring solar installations perform to standard

planning, creating unexpected gaps in projected savings. Even when performance issues are identified, many organisations don’t have the expertise to address them e”ectively.” Safeguarding your solar investments Businesses can take control and safeguard their solar investments with Candi Solar’s newly introduced industry first solution – Solar ProtectPlus. It combines performance insurance with expert asset management, ensuring solar systems deliver the savings and e”iciency they were designed to provide. With this hassle-free approach, companies can protect their investment, avoid unexpected costs, and maximise their solar returns – without the burden of managing and monitoring the system themselves. Solar ProtectPlus o”ers three key benefits. - Guaranteed financial compensation is provided for any underperformance and every lost kilowatt-hour, ensuring businesses achieve their projected savings and avoid additional costs. - Based on a simple annual fixed-cost model like the traditional O&M fee, but backed by IoT technology, AI and Swiss engineering expertise, this innovative solution takes care of all aspects of solar system maintenance and optimisation: repairs, preventive and corrective maintenance, warranty management and performance. - Candi Solar’s performance-based revenue model ensures alignment with each client’s best interests. The client pays a fixed rate per kWh, directly linked to the energy their solar system generates. When the system outperforms expectations, both Candi Solar and the client benefit, turning performance into shared success. Protecting performance This o”ers an alternative solution to businesses to manage and protect their solar investments. “Solar ProtectPlus provides complete protection against underperformance and ensures optimal system e”iciency. We are removing the uncertainty, complexity and risk from solar asset management. This means businesses can focus on their

Many businesses investing in solar energy assume that once the system is installed, savings and e”iciency will follow automatically. This is not always the case. Underperformance is a serious risk that can quietly drain profitability, increase operational costs and, in some instances, disrupt business continuity. If the solar system installed is not generating the power planned for, the business could be paying more for electricity than anticipated, failing to meet sustainability targets, and possibly breaching financial agreements linked to energy savings. Richard Flamand, Country Lead of Candi Solar South Africa, a company specialising in end-to-end solar solutions for businesses, says many businesses experience a shortfall in solar performance due to poor installation, inadequate maintenance, and a lack of proper monitoring. Without a clear strategy to manage these risks, a company’s solar investment may not deliver the returns expected. What causes solar underperformance? “Solar system performance can be a”ected by various factors: poor installation, inadequate system maintenance, a lack of quality data, and inadequate health and safety infrastructure,” says Flamand. For example, solar panels installed without the correct orientation and tilt, as well as improper panel sizing, or the use of lower e”iciency panels, will result in sub-par performance. Dirty or damaged solar panels as well as component failures like ine”icient inverters, wiring issues or defective panels, will also reduce e”iciency and decrease energy output. A lack of proper maintenance and expertise can result in declining performance over time, and inaccurate data analytics make it di”icult to identify issues before they escalate, which can lead to non-compliance with industry regulations, legal penalties or shutdowns. “What we’re seeing is that businesses o•en don’t have a clear strategy for managing these challenges and that directly impacts the bottom line,” says Flamand. “Most businesses don’t account for performance issues in their initial financial

core operations while we ensure their solar investments deliver maximum value,” says Flamand. “We invite all solar asset owners that are not achieving the returns they expected from their solar investments or have experienced a noticeable drop in electricity production or a spike in electricity bills, to contact us for a complimentary technical check-up.” Businesses with solar assets of 200 kWp or more can take advantage of this technical check up with a five-day turnaround time. This initial assessment will help the business understand the solar system’s true potential, its actual performance and the opportunities for optimisation.

Candi Solar o•ers assessment, optimisation and ongoing maintenance to ensure solar installations perform as specified.

16 Electricity + Control JUNE 2025