Site 2.6
Site ID
2.6
Health
COD
2018
Nominal Capacity
140 kWp
Average Specific Yield
801 kWh/kWp
Total Estimated Loss
75.8%
Possible Gain
9% to 30%
CAPEX, OPEX
1.3 ₹/Wp, 0.8 ₹/Wp/a
Expenditure / Energy
5.7 ₹/kWh to 1.7 ₹/kWh
Abstract
The PV plant is affected by near shadings caused by trees, walls, and cables. Furthermore, the modules show heavy contamination that has developed in hot cells. Additionally, the inverter of one rooftop (50 kWp) is not working. It is recommended to (i) carry out a deep cleaning of heavily contaminated modules, (ii) replace the malfunctioning inverter, (iii) trim trees and remove shading objects close to the system and (iv) replace or re-group modules with multi-cracks. The estimated production boost caused by the retrofitting actions lies between 9 and 30%.
Image gallery
Main Findings
Major portion of power plant is shaded due to low inter row spacing and trees surrounding the system.
Objects near the modules, such as a pole a cable, and nearby wall, cast shadow over the systems. Accounting for a shading loss around 4%, according to the simulation of the system.
No weather station was found on site.
ACBD located next to non-working inverter was found broken and exposed to the environment.
Impact on Performance
Disconnected circuits
The 50 kWp system is not in operation since July 2020 and the inverter buttons are not working.
Estimated Loss
≈ 35.7%
Heavy Soiling
Heavy soiling is found on the modules. A soiling loss of 5% was determined from the IV curve measurement.
Estimated Loss
≈ 5%
Cell Cracks
Some modules were identified with severe cracks and isolated areas.
Estimated Loss
≈ 6%
Underperformance
Many modules have developed hot cells due to the shading of trees, the surroundings and heavy soiling. The average underperformance of the measured modules is around 24%.
Estimated Loss
≈ 24%
Total Estimated Energy Loss
≈ 75.8%
Proposed Solutions
Substitute or fix inverter of the 50 kWp system.
A weather station, or at least an irradiation sensor on the module plane, shall be installed to determine the performance of the.
The trees surrounding the system shall be trimmed if allowed and the objects near the modules removed. Otherwise, a re-stringing of the modules shall be conducted according to their shading conditions to avoid shadowing losses.
The cleaning cycles shall be increased based on the results of a soiling study that adjusts the cleaning needs to each season.
Modules with highly damaged cells shall be replaced or grouped in the same string or at least assigned to one MPPT.