Operation & Maintenance Best Practices Guidelines (Version 6.0)

Welcome to the sixth edition of SolarPower Europe’s Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Best Practice Guidelines.

O&M is vital to ensuring the solar PV industry’s long-term success, especially in the EU. As solar deployment grows and digital technologies evolve, harmonising best practices is crucial for scaling operations efficiently while maintaining quality standards, supporting sustainable growth.

O&M is a key segment of the solar industry, creating significant jobs and economic value in Europe, and driving global innovations, particularly in digitalisation. Since the first version in 2016, the guidelines have become a living document, evolving with input from an active community of experts.

The new guidelines exclude the Asset Management chapter, as it was addressed in a separate publication since 2020. They now offer expanded content, including an extended Power Plant Maintenance chapter, a new section on Common Tests and Inspections, and more detailed coverage of revamping and repowering, focusing on end-of-life aspects, contractual advice, and dismantling challenges. Additionally, the innovation and trends chapter has been updated to showcase emerging technologies and innovative solutions.

This update comes at a time when the importance of quality across the solar PV value chain is growing, as highlighted by SolarPower Europe’s Lifecycle Quality Workstream. The Solar Quality Summit, launched in 2023, has become a key forum for discussing quality in the solar sector. Since the last version of the O&M guidelines, SolarPower Europe has also published best practices for Engineering, Procurement & Construction, Lifecycle Quality, and End-of-Life Management.

To support the global dissemination of best practices, the O&M Best Practice Guidelines were translated into German, adapted for the Tunisian market, and adapted for the Indian market in collaboration with the German development cooperation GIZ and India’s National Solar Industry Federation (NSEFI). The www.solarbestpractices.com platform remains a valuable resource, providing access to our reports, tools, and checklists, as well as a directory of companies that adhere to best practices.

We thank our members for their ongoing engagement, which underscores the importance of O&M and Asset Management. We look forward to continuing our work in 2025 and invite stakeholders to join our Task Force to enhance solar O&M services even further

Members of the Lifecycle Quality Workstream

SolarPower Europe would like to thank the members of its Lifecycle Quality workstream that contributed to this report including:

Legal information

Chair of the SolarPower Europe Lifecycle Quality Workstream: Stelios Antellis, Astronergy

Vice-Chairs of the SolarPower Europe Lifecycle Quality Workstream: Wojtek Swietochowski, Aboenergy

Coordinator of the SolarPower Europe Lifecycle Quality Workstream: Nikoletta Fodor, SolarPower Europe

Contact: info@solarpowereurope.org

Contributions and co-authors

Andreas Stiedl (Huawei); Calin Sas (Sunrock); Christian Braun (ISE); Cecilia Moramarco (Sunrock); Daniel Barandalla (UL Solutions); David Melgar (ISE); ; Giuseppe Farinato (Kiwa); Gautier Moulin (aevy); Ioannis Tsanakas (CEA-INES); Katia Prada (DNV); Laura Azcona (DNV); Patricio Sánchez (Kiwa); Pablo Sebastian Enriquez Paez (BayWa r.e.); Rafael Gomez (RP Global); Sebastian Leon (UL Solutions); Thomas Sauer (EXXERGY); Viola Hoffmann (Above);; Wojtek Swietochowski (Aboenergy); Yongsheng (QE-Labs)

Supported by: Intersolar Europe

Acknowledgements

SolarPower Europe would like to extend special thanks to all the Workstream members that contributed to this report with their knowledge and experience. This work would never have been realised without their continuous support.

Please cite as: SolarPower Europe (2025): Operation & Maintenance Best Practice Guidelines/Version 6.0

For media use and queries: Bethany Meban, SolarPower Europe b.meban@solarpoweurope.org

Date of publication: February 2025

ISBN: 9789464444247

Contact: info@solarpowereurope.org

Design: Onehemisphere, Sweden. contact@onehemisphere.se

Cover image: © Bartus Daniel/Shutterstock.com

Thanks to our Sponsor Members

Project information

The SolarPower Europe Lifecycle Quality workstream originally started as the O&M Task Force in April 2015. Its scope then expanded to include Asset Management in 2019, and EPC in 2020, covering the entire lifecycle of solar PV projects. The first version of the O&M Best Practices Guidelines was published in June 2016 and since then, the Task Force has updated the Guidelines regularly. The SolarPower Europe O&M Best Practices Guidelines reflect the experience and views of a considerable share of the European O&M industry today. There has been no external funding or sponsoring for this project.

Disclaimer

Adherence to the SolarPower Europe O&M Best Practice Guidelines report and its by-products is voluntary. Any stakeholders that wish to adhere to the O&M Best Practice Guidelines are responsible for self-certifying that they have fulfilled the guide requirements through completing the self-certification procedure offered by the “Solar Best Practices Mark” (www.solarbestpractices.com). This report has been prepared by SolarPower Europe. It is being provided to the recipients for general information purposes only. Nothing in it should be interpreted as an offer or recommendation of any products, services or financial products. This report does not constitute technical, investment, legal, tax or any other advice. Recipients should consult with their own technical, financial, legal, tax or other advisors as needed. This report is based on sources believed to be accurate. However, SolarPower Europe does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in this report. SolarPower Europe assumes no obligation to update any information contained herein. SolarPower Europe will not be held liable for any direct or indirect damage incurred by the use of the information provided and will not provide any indemnities.

Please note that this Version 6.0 may be subject to future changes, updates and improvements.