The Earthtrack maintenance team recently spent time on both BHP Port Hedland and Rio Tinto Greater Brockman sites, and got a feel first hand for the harsh conditions these towers operate in; including 50+ degree temperatures, cyclonic winds and of course, the prolific red dust.
In many cases when towers are not working, it usually comes down to maintenance – dust coverage of solar panels, broken glass after extreme storms, batteries at the end of their life, general wear and tear, or a need for upgraded components. In other cases, factory settings have been changed on site, which means the unit works, but is not set to be on when you need it.
These are easy fixes, and in most cases a clean and service restores the unit to working like new. Earthtrack are also continually researching and sourcing improved components to improve performance in collection and storage of solar power, so ensuring these items are upgraded regularly is also important.
Some important tips for getting the most power from your towers:
- The towers are pre-set to work to site specifications by the Earthtrack factory. Changing these can void warranty and is not recommended without talking to the Earthtrack team.
- Regularly maintain your solar towers. Every unit comes with a maintenance guide and cleaning of panels regularly will make sure the sun is powering up your tower efficiently.
- Bad weather coming? Send out a team to bring down towers, protect glass panels and make sure battery housing units are closed. Many issues found on site relate to water getting into the workings of the unit simply because they were left open to the elements.
- Make sure your solar panels are facing North. When shifting solar towers, adjustment to solar panels to face North is often overlooked and will mean they don’t power up.
- Like all batteries, they will stop recharging towards the end of their life, so will need to be replaced roughly every three years.
As it can be difficult to maintain units on a busy site, Earthtrack are now offering a site upgrade and maintenance service. This can be on a one-off basis or as part of a service package for customers who want to make sure they have the latest upgrades installed and their lights are working efficiently.
This Premium Upgrade and Maintenance Program offers a three-year servicing program to ensure each tower is working properly, with regular checkups scheduled in. Alternatively, a service check can be booked at any time.
There is a good reason why Australian resource companies choose Earthtrack. Our sales and support team are involved in not only research and development of product performance improvements, but also manage the maintenance program, which makes them highly knowledgeable when talking to customers about the best solar tower options for a particular site application.
For more information, contact Earthtrack.
