The U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) provides best practices for managing durable, long-lasting photovoltaic (PV) systems. These include design features and equipment specifications, resources related to technical and financial considerations to recover from failures, and recommendations for preparing for the end of the performance period.
Planning a durable PV system involves reducing potential impacts on operations from planned or unplanned disruptions. This is an iterative process that must be revisited through proper operations and maintenance (O&M) protocols.
This resource is intended to provide federal agencies, facility managers, procurement staff, contractors serving the federal sector, and others with a consolidated set of resources and key considerations associated with the entire life cycle of PV systems. FEMP is providing this information pursuant to its mandate under 42 U.S.C. § 8253(i), which facilitates the development of energy conservation measures as described in 42 U.S.C. § 8253(i)(3)(A)(i), and promotes a strategic approach to energy planning, as outlined in 42 U.S.C. § 8253(i)(3)(A)(v).
PV System Life Cycle
Learn more about the life cycle of a PV system below. Each section includes summary action items, checklists, and descriptions of publicly available reports, when applicable. Links to key resources are also provided for those who wish to explore the topics in greater detail.