this case study explains how insolar, our sophisticated solar plant monitoring system, helps achieve exceptional performance of PV plants. With the permission of the owner, we chose a 2 MWp solar plant with over 4 years of operational data to take into consideration for analysing the effect of detailed monitoring in the overall plant performance. Our system monitors every single part of the solar plant from strings, inverters and electrical switchboards to transformers and substations.

1. Case study
Ensuring Exceptional
PV Performance with insolar

2. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 2
of faults and malfunctions
Introduction
Prompt and reliable
detection
Assessment Correction
Operation & Maintenance is the most important service after plant commissioning
To ensure maximum yield and uninterrupted operation of a PV plant there must be:
Insolar, Inacecss monitoring solution, helps solar plants stakeholders to manage
in a centralized way their portfolio
A real-life case study, describing how insolar ensures exceptional performance
is presented in the following slides.

3. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 3
Overview of the PV plant used in this case study
2 MWp solar plant
Installed in Peloponnese, Greece
Commissioned in August 2009
186 SMA string inverters
All production and other electro-mechanical equipment
is monitored (strings, inverters, MV switchboards,
transformers, substations etc)
Meteo-conditions, communication status and security system
are also monitored

4. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 4
Using insolar to Detect Malfunctions
On the Summary page there is a sortable list of all current problems.
The Map tab provides a basic description above the geographical pinpoint.
The Events Viewer tab lists all current events in an easily sortable format.
Any issue is immediately visible in three locations of insolar portal.

5. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 5
The Plant Browser
Characterized by a practical and variable coloring
of any part of the plant where a specific issue or
problem has occurred.
Insolar has the most detailed analysis for the
whole plant from the grid connection down to a
single string.

6. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 6
The Plant Manager
Provides quick access to all important elements
and parameters of the solar Plant (energy flow,
present revenue, and CO2 reduction results).
Contains handy plots of revenue over time, yields
and losses, efficiencies, performance ratios, and
output energy.
By crosschecking those values with detailed logs
produced from the plant browser, it is possible to
detect immediately the type of malfunction or
failure that led to a lowered yield or an increased
loss.

7. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 7
The Event Handling
The Event Handling page enables the detection of
similar issues that take place during a specific
period of time.
It is therefore easy to link them to the overall
performance of the plant or to specific conditions
such as snow or soiling.

8. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 8
Examples of real problem solving using Insolar (1/3)
Low Performance Ratio
Real case No.1:
A notable performance ratio drop was followed by a low-performance ratio alarm,
which persisted for several days.
Specifically, the performance ratio dropped from its normal range of between 82 – 93% to values
below 80% without any technical issues or malfunctions being present.
The operator’s technical team visited the site and discovered extensive soiling of the PV panels.
It turns out that a light rain during very dusty conditions had left heavy deposits on the panels.
After cleaning them, the production and performance ratio returned to normal.

9. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 9
Examples of real problem solving using Insolar (2/3)
Low current alarm
Real case No.2:
At some point in time an alarm noting abnormally low current periodically appeared.
By following the history of events, the low current alarm was isolated to a number of specific
strings and was limited to a few hours before sunset.
This alarm indicates that one or more strings are underperforming compared to others.
This kind of irregularities typically indicates a shadowing issue.
Combining the inSolar recorded events with images taken from cameras close to this part
of the plant provided proof.
The vegetation beneath some panels had grown to such an extent that shadowed some of them
during the late afternoon hours.

10. Case study: Ensuring Exceptional PV Performance with insolar 10
Examples of real problem solving using Insolar 3/3)
Buckholz Relay alarm
Real case No.3:
The insolar system includes monitoring of the status of the Buckholz relay of the oil-immersed power
transformers used at this solar plant.
The condition of the Buckholz relay is extremely important since a possible trip leads
to a disconnection of the transformer.
This idles the part of the plant that is connected to this specific transformer,
leading to a great loss of energy produced.
After the issue of a related alarm, a technician was sent to check the transformer condition.
The technician discovered that the transformer windings were overheating,
and the problem was restored avoiding a severe production loss.

11. For further info, please contact:
Mr. Angelos Koronias
M: akoronias@inaccess.com
T: +30 210 68 02 300
Inaccess was founded in 2000, with a focus on renewable energy and telecom infrastructure management. We design and develop state-of-the-art products and
solutions, which give our partners invaluable access to information, enabling them to maximize the viability and effectiveness of their investments through
performance optimization and OPEX reduction.
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