QE Solar Logo
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LAST UPDATED: July 13th, 2020

QE Solar is an independent third-party service provider for large scale photovoltaics (PV) projects that currently manages over 1.3 GW across the United States. As a leader in advancing renewable energy solutions, QE Solar dedicates itself in maximizing energy production while reducing costs and maximizing the return of investment through its comprehensive operations and maintenance services. The company focuses on operating and managing a wide variety of commercial and industrial, municipal, academic, and utility scale solar systems.

QE Solar offers the following services:

Operations and Maintenance

  • Annual Maintenance
  • 24/7 Monitoring and Performance Reporting
  • IV Curve Tracing
  • Thermal Imaging
  • Troubleshooting and Repair

Commissioning

  • Performance Evaluation
  • Workmanship Evaluation
  • Punchlist Generation
  • Code Compliance

Engineering Consulting

  • Performance Modeling
  • Shade Analysis
  • System Design and Optimization
  • Equipment Selection

Construction Management 

  • Site Visits
  • Punchlist Generation
  • Workmanship Evaluation
  • Owner Technical Representative
  • Solar Expertise 

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The Good

  • Operations and Maintenance
  • Commissioning and Construction Management Services
  • Independent Engineering
  • Troubleshoot and Repair
  • Aerial Inspection and Testing Services 

Operations and Maintenance

As an independent third-party PV service provider, QE Solar provides comprehensive operations and maintenance services to ensure clients’ systems are running efficiently to maximize energy production and return on investment. Its operations and maintenance services include:

  • Comprehensive PV System Inspections — QE Solar has a staff of multiple electrical and mechanical engineers in all operations and maintenance servicing. The company’s staff is technically skilled at inspecting, identifying, and implementing preventative and corrective measures. Its inspections include monitoring of modules and racking to identify any failures or damages and inspecting sites for vegetation, pest, or erosion issues. A comprehensive report with photos and a prioritized list of non-conformance items is provided to the client for review.
  • PV System Monitoring — QE Solar has substantial experience managing PV systems with comprehensive monitoring solutions. The company provides 24/7 monitoring of PV systems, inverters, and combiner level performances. Real-time inverter graphing is used for monitoring that quickly identifies outages. Highly qualified engineers analyze alerts and create action plans to minimize false alarms, optimizing maintenance and operations. The company’s comprehensive processing of inverter and performance data determines root causes of production issues.
  • System Performance Analysis and Reporting — QE Solar uses engineering-grade  inverter, combiner, and string comparative analytics to identify performance variations. The company documents known production loss issues, identifies underperformance issues, and provides plans to investigate and resolve issues. A variety of reporting frequencies are available from daily, monthly, and annually. Monthly PPA invoicing and meter audit and verification is also offered.
  • Preventative Maintenance — To ensure solar equipment performs optimally, QE Solar ensures the equipment reliability and validity of manufacturer warranty by performing manufacturing recommended preventative maintenance on all equipment. This includes maintenance on central and string inverters, combiners, recombiners, transformers, switchgear, and monitoring equipment.
  • Electrical Testing and Servicing — QE Solar has over 500 MW of IV curve tracing experience with engineering quality analysis. The company works to identify issues, production impact, and creates corrective action plans to maximize energy production. This includes string level open circuit and operating current verification.
  • Thermal Imaging — Thermal scans of PV equipment are conducted by Certified Level 1 thermographers to identify large-scale disruptions that significantly impact system performance and deem a field visit inspection and correction.
  • Warranty Enforcement — QE Solar focuses on restoring production and minimizing losses through maintaining relationships with manufacturers to enable timely resolution of equipment failures. The company makes and coordinates claims under available warranties from manufacturers or installers to minimize disruption and reduce costs for clients.
  • Maintenance Logs and Service Tickets — QE Solar maintains historical data, performance history, and logs of service and repair tickets. Through this data, the company can identify trends and provide corrective action before system failures arise. Analysis of the data collected also provides insight into future equipment selection, operations, and staffing decisions.

Commissioning and Construction Management Services

QE Solar provides full system performance audits of PV systems through initial and periodic commissioning, general system check-ups, third party performance verifications, and system valuation assessments. The company performs comprehensive system analysis using both present and past system data to determine the strength and efficiency of clients’ PV systems. QE Solar Audit services include:

  • Testing and Verification of System Installation
  • Comprehensive IV Curve Trace Testing and Analysis
  • Thermal Image Testing and Analysis
  • Insulation Resistance Testing
  • Performance Reporting and Historical Analysis
  • Identification of System Faults, Weaknesses, and/or Degradation Rates
  • Assessment of System Operation and Level of Optimization Necessary
  • Workmanship, Code Compliance, Punch List Generation and Verifications
  • Detailed Audit Reports Including Findings, Recommendations, and Action Items
  • PV System Commissioning

To ensure clients that solar projects are built in accordance with all design parameters, protocols, and compliance with solar industry best practices, QE Solar provides construction management services that include:

  • Construction and Project Management
  • Owner’s Agent or Representative Services 
  • QA/QC Management and Implementation
  • Testing Oversight, Compliance and Verification
  • Design and Installation Verification
  • Review of As-Built Drawings and Compliance
  • System Monitoring and Data-logger Installation
  • Safety Analysis, Implementation, and Enforcement

Independent Engineering

QE Solar provides independent engineering services that include early stage planning and development, feasibility studies, site shading analysis, photovoltaic engineering, performance modeling, and solar facility design and implementation. The company also provides comprehensive evaluations and appraisals of systems or portfolios for clients interested in either purchasing or selling solar assets.

Troubleshoot and Repair

With the company’s unique skill set and engineering approach, QE Solar leads the solar industry in troubleshooting, diagnostics, and repair services for PV systems. When hiring QE Solar, Clients can be assured that their systems are being handled by dedicated and experienced professionals. The company’s engineers and technicians are qualified with training and certifications for all PV system components that include factory training and certifications from a variety of equipment manufacturers.

QE Solar’s troubleshooting and repair teams are available 24/7 to restore PV systems with minimal downtime and loss for clients. The troubleshooting and repair services include:

  • Comprehensive Troubleshooting and PV Repairs
  • Factory and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Repair Services
  • Warranty Facilitation and Repairs 
  • Event Reports and Issue Logging
  • Failure Analysis and System Diagnosis

Aerial Inspection and Testing Services

QE Solar utilizes aerial inspection and thermal imaging services to monitor and review site conditions and health diagnostics of solar systems for system performance and warranty maintenance. The company staffs FAA licensed drone pilots and aerial PV specialists for its comprehensive aerial scans. The aerial maintenance and audit services include:

  • Aerial Thermal Imaging with Reporting
  • System Operation Checks with No Downtime
  • Overhead PV Site Surveys and Imaging
  • Warranty IR Scans and Diagnostics 
  • Vegetation and Landscape Review
  • Storm Damage and Acts of Nature Assessments
  • General Project Imaging and Landscape Conditions
  • Construction Progress Tracking
  • Security Checks and Fence Line Surveys
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The Bad

  • Focuses on Large Scale PV Projects

Focuses on Large Scale PV Projects

QE Solar does not design, install, and maintain photovoltaic systems for residential use. The company focuses on operating and managing commercial and industrial, municipal, academic, and utility scale solar systems.

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The Bottom Line

It is apparent that QE Solar comprises a team that is passionate and dedicated to advancing renewable energy through its exceptional and comprehensive operations and monitoring services. QE Solar’s extensive services are performed by qualified technicians, experienced engineers, and licensed pilots to maximize energy production and return of investment for clients. We recommend QE Solar for clients with large scale photovoltaic systems that cannot afford the cost of in-house PV operations and monitoring positions.

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