Global concerns and growth in electricity demand, especially for rural and remote settlements, has forced governments, scientists, engineers, and researchers to look for alternative solutions in the form of renewable energy sources. High global growth in solar energy technology applications has added more weight in operations and maintenance (O&M) of solar-photovoltaic (SPV) systems. SPV reliability and optimized system performance are key to ensuring success and continual adaptation of SPV technology. O&M plays a central role in ensuring sustainability and long-term availability throughout the operational lifetime of the elements of SPV systems whilst boosting confidence of ultimate consumers in solar energy. While appreciating that SPV installations intrinsically require minimal maintenance actions, the objective of this manuscript is hence to reaffirm the significance of O&M scheduling in SPV systems by reviewing the O&M approaches in SPV microgrid systems. Further discussions focus on the various maintenance strategies employed in the field with special emphasis on corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance strategies. Because of the variation in the design and development procedures of SPV systems, there is lack of clear steps followed in the development of an O&M program for SPV systems and the evaluation of its performance. This manuscript serves to address this through a model for developing an O&M program and portrays the key elements for its success, including a management and execution approach for improved risk-return balance and savings from the O&M expenditure. Eventually, the three models of executing an O&M program (i.e., in-house O&M team, third party contract, or installation company) are analyzed.

This research focuses on an assessment and design of a hybrid Photo Voltaic (PV)-wind system for rural electrification in Jamataka village, Botswana. The assessment revealed the most pressing factors for the need for reliable energy and the issues that the village community had with existing electricity sources. Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software was used to perform all the hybrid system configurations, simulations, and selections. The assessment research was carried out using questionnaires and physical data collection on site. With a peak load of 27.31 kW, the annual average demand is 165.29 kWh/day. The results show that the PV/wind/battery system generates the most economic and technical benefits, as measured by the Net Present Cost (NPC). Due to the high initial expenditures on renewable energy systems, the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of the system is 65 percent higher than the present energy cost in Botswana for households and 57 percent higher for companies. The International Renewable Energy Agency’s global report of renewable energy generation costs between 2010 and 2020 revealed a significant decrease, with utility-scale solar PV costs falling by 85% and onshore wind costs falling by 56 percent. As a result, the LCOE decreases as the cost of renewable energy decreases. Subsidies for renewable energy systems, on the other hand, can significantly reduce the LCOE.