Site II.10
Site ID
II.10
Health
COD
2017
Nominal Capacity
89.28 kWp
Average Specific Yield
1173 kWh/kWp
Total Estimated Loss
13%
Possible Gain
8% to 13%
CAPEX, OPEX
4.3 ₹/Wp, 0.6 ₹/Wp/a
Expenditure / Energy
N/A
Abstract
The PV plant shows moderate levels of soiling caused by dust and bird droppings. Limited access to the system and lack of structural integrity of the sheet metal roofing were also detected. The PV modules show significant mechanical damages at the module level. It is recommended to (i) increase the cleaning frequency to at least twice per month, (ii) replace and/or install a UV cable protection, (iii) reinforce the rooftop structure and replace the rusted fixation elements, and (iv) resort the modules based on the module damages. The estimated production boost expected by the retrofitting actions lies between 8% and 13%.
Image gallery
Main Findings
The roof structure and its components are rusty, and the roof is not robust.
There is no weather station, and hence no PR monitoring.
Pipes carrying cables are brittle and some parts have already broken, exposing cables to weather.
The modules are considerably soiled.
A significant number of cracks were seen from the EL images, showing considerable amount of inactive areas.
High module operating temperature (~60°C) results in decrease of the output power, hence efficiency.
Impact on Performance
Heavy Soiling
Soiling losses were determined to be 4% -6.0%, based on the on-site measurements.
Estimated Loss
4%-6%
≈ 5%
Cell Cracks
The performance loss at the module level was determined to be 8% on average, based on the severity of the cell damages discovered via EL imaging and IV curve measurements.
Estimated Loss
≈ 8%
Total Estimated Energy Loss
≈ 13%
Proposed Solutions
The cables shall be protected from UV radiation by robust pipes or tubes.
A weather station, or at least an irradiation sensor on the module plane, shall be installed so that the performance of the system can be properly determined.
Manual cleaning shall be implemented and scheduled based on the results of a soiling study that adjusts the cleaning needs to each season.
Modules with heavy cracks shall be grouped in the same string or at least assigned to one MPPT. The grouping will be conducted based on infrared inspection with high irradiation levels and after cleaning. These modules with cracks will be grouped in strings with same MPPT.
The structural integrity of the roof shall be reinforced.