A Flaw in the Human Condition? Everyone Wants to Build, It Takes Dedication to Maintain.
Kurt Vonnegut once wrote: "Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance."
For too long, Vonnegut’s words have resonated in the solar industry. A rush to speed adoption at the expense of educating consumers incentivized bad actors to put solar on as many roofs as possible as fast as possible.
Quick sales came at the expense of long-term value to property owners.
At Optimus Energy Solutions, our distinction lies in more than just building new residential and commercial solar systems, or electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
We believe that a virtuous cycle, where solar and EV charging systems operate for the benefit of entire communities, can only be achieved if we are committed to doing the hard work of maintaining these systems for decades.
Build, then Maintain
Florida is third in the nation for solar capacity, and has outpaced the rest of the country in solar installation. 13,000 megawatts have been added to the grid online since 2013. That's enough to power over one and a half million homes.
To continue this trend, we must build—and building isn’t easy. However, Optimus believes building is easier than maintaining systems over the long term. It’s a common human tendency to favor the new over the old. In solar, where systems are designed to operate for 40 years, the preference for new isn’t always in the industry’s best interest.
To achieve long-term energy objectives, prioritizing service, maintenance, and repairs is imperative.
Maintaining the Lead
Building and long term maintenance is not just nice to have; it’s essential for the long term adoption of renewable energy.
In Central Florida, Optimus Energy Solutions led the installation of a state-of-the-art, energy-producing solar wall at a new Climate First Bank branch. The solar system will generate more than 100% of the power required to run the bank’s daily activities.
In Macon, Georgia; Culver's has gone solar. We installed a 60kW solar canopy, using 150 panels made primarily in the United States. In Eustis, Florida, OES installed over 100 solar panels on Animal Medical Center’s rooftop, helping AMC’s business become more self-sufficient with battery backup in storm events. Each of these systems must produce energy for decades to come.
We ensure lasting energy production through:
Remote system monitoring that detects anomalies, down to the individual solar module.
Maintain dispatch platforms used to deploy repair crews to repair infrastructure throughout Florida.
Perform service on existing systems, irrespective of who completed the installation.
Solar panel cleaning, service, and troubleshooting.
Energy output reviews.
Fix, repair, or replace parts on almost any roof and ground mounted solar system.
Timely response to service requests.
Relevant Truths
Ben Pauluhn, President of Optimus Energy Solutions, emphasizes the profound truth within Vonnegut's quote, particularly in the renewable energy sector. Doing something once, like a solar panel installation, is relatively straightforward. Repeating the process to a high standard is far more challenging.
"Maintaining renewable infrastructure may lack glamor, it's essential because the hardware must produce energy for many years to provide real, tangible, attractive returns. We've completed the heavy lifting, and by maintaining, we avoid the need to do it again in the future. By prioritizing maintenance, we have better communities overall."
Optimus Energy’s Maintenance Solutions
One of the most important questions to ask your solar installer should be: How do you handle maintenance and warranty items?
Optimus prioritizes warranties: we handle all maintenance and warranty matters, serving as your single point of contact for all claims.
We escrow between 2-3% of every installation, exclusively reserved for warranty fulfillment.
Actively expanding our dedicated maintenance team to enhance customer responsiveness and ensure systems work.
The Bottom Line:
The solar installation industry is maturing, and while growth is an important focus, operations, maintenance must now take greater precedence. At OES, we build and maintain for the future, where our nation's reliance on robust renewable infrastructure demands nothing less.