Solar panels struggle through lack of cleaning

Serious flaws have been revealed in the management of Palmerston North’s struggling solar farm.

The farm on the roof tops of the civic administration and convention centre buildings is only generating about a third of the returns expected while its panels are lying flatter than recommended and uncleaned.

City council finance and performance committee chairwoman Susan Baty has blasted management for taking three years to report on the problems.

Originally, the farm was expected to generate 118,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

It came close in the first year, dropping back to just over 100,000kWh in the second year, but has generated just 53,997kWh eight months into the 2016-17 year.

General manager for City Networks Ray Swadel presented the figures in a report on how savings from solar generation are well down on projections to the committee’s meeting on Monday.

Earlier projected to save the council $27,000 a year and pay back the $200,000 installation costs within 10 years, the savings so far were just under $12,000 in the first year, nearly $11,000 in the second, and under $6000 to the end of February this year – a total of about $29,000 in its lifetime. Read more….

Solar panels struggle through lack of cleaning