Site III.8

Site ID
III.8
Health
COD
2018
Nominal Capacity
120 kWp
Average Specific Yield
1048 kWh/kWp
Total Estimated Loss
14%
Possible Gain
15% to 20%
CAPEX, OPEX
0.8 ₹/Wp, 0.2 ₹/Wp/a
Expenditure / Energy
N/A

Abstract

The PV plant was installed in an unstable mounting structure. From the safety perspective, the mounting structure should be reinforced. The module sample displayed a few microcracks through electroluminescence. Hotspots, likely induced by heavy soiling, were discovered though thermographic inspection. It is recommended to (i) improve cleaning cycles, for every module in the system (ii) IR inspection of cables and connectors for hotspots and (iii) install a weather station or at least an irradiation sensor on the module plane. The estimated production boost expected by the retrofitting actions lies between 15% and 20%.

Image gallery

Main Findings

No weather station has been installed and the Performance Ratio is not tracked.
The mounting structure is made up of many small beams. This endangers the stability of the system.
The filters of the inverter have been found dirty.
Some modules are affected by local shading. These cause hotspots and burned cells.
Some parts of the cables are exposed to UV radiation and the bending radii have not been observed.
Several shading problems were found caused by roof structures.
Some of the strings measured had lower outputs.
Heavy partial pollution creates hotspots. Some modules were extremely dirty.
According to the amount of cracks discovered via EL imaging, the system is not expected to have a large power losses due to inactive areas.
Several hot cables were found on the distribution boxes and inverters.

Impact on Performance

Heavy Soiling
Soiling measurements were conducted before and after cleaning. The estimated soiling loss is on average 14%. Two levels of pollution were measured. The highest losses were 26.1%.
Estimated Loss
≈ 14%
Total Estimated Energy Loss
≈ 14%

Proposed Solutions

The individual beams of the mounting structure should be reinforced.
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.
The cables and plugs should be checked for temperature and functionality.
The modules should be cleaned regularly.
The loose hanging cables should be fixed and the bending radii checked.
The causes of the local shadings should be removed.
The filters of the inverter should be cleaned.