Solar PV Rooftop Training Entrepreneurship Development project performance evaluation Operation & Maintenance planning

1. Partnership To Advance Clean Energy-Deployment (PACE-D)
Technical Assistance Program
Presented by
USAID PACE-D TA Program
Apr-18
Solar PV Rooftop Training Program For Entrepreneurs
Session:
Project Performance Evaluation & O&M Planning

2. Contents
System Performance Monitoring
Measurement Parameters as per IEC 61724
Performance indicators of SPVRT power plant
Preventive maintenance plan

3. System Performance Monitoring
The monitoring / data logging systems, available either as standard or an option with the
majority of inverters, will provide data that can produce graphs showing:
 Daily energy yield for month / year
 Daily power generation
 Insulation / Irradiation
 Ambient temperature
 Module temperature
 Wind speed (Important for mounting systems with trackers)
IEC 61724: Photovoltaic system performance monitoring — Guidelines for measurement,
data exchange and analysis

4. Measurement Parameters (as per IEC 61724)
 Measurement of irradiance
 Measurement of ambient air
temperature
 Measurement of wind speed
 Measurement of module temperature
 Measurement of voltage and current
 Measurement of electrical power
 Measurement of electrical power
 Data acquisition system
 Sampling interval
 Data processing operation
 Recording interval

5. Performance Indicators of SPVRT Power Plant
According to IEC 61724 two main indicators of performance are:
 Final Yield Yf (kWh / kWp):
Ratio of energy to utility and rated PV array capacity
 Performance Ratio PR (%):
Ratio of actual and theoretical possible energy output of the PV plant
Other indicator:
 Capacity utilization factor CUF (%):
Energy production in comparison to theoretical maximum amount when
operating continuously at full capacity

6. Performance Indicators of SPVRT Power Plant
 Performance ratio is the indicator to compare the performance of PV power
plants that may differ in design, technology and location
 Performance ratio Indicates how well the plant is performing Independent of
irradiation at PV plant location
 Typical annual PR : ~ 75 – 85%
Advantage of PR compared to CUF and Final Yield:
 PR is independent from irradiation at the plant location
 Underperforming plants can easily be detected by calculating PR
 Measures can be taken to improve the energy production of plants showing low
PR

7. Performance Indicators of SPVRT Power Plant

8. Preventive Maintenance Plan
Maintenance Frequency
Ensure security of Power plant Day-to-Day
Cleaning solar panels to remove dust and other dirt like bird droppings
etc. with water, wet and dry mops
Weekly /
Fortnightly
Monitor power generation & export Daily (remotely)
Keep the inverters clean to minimise possibility of dust ingress Quarterly
Ensure all electrical connections are kept clean & tight Half-yearly
Check mechanical integrity of the array structure Annually
Check all cabling for mechanical damage Annually
Check output voltage and current of each string of the array and compare
with the expected output under existing conditions
Annually
Check operation of PV array DC isolator Annually

9. 9
Anurag Mishra
Senior Clean Energy Specialist
USAID/India
Email: amishra@usaid.gov
Disclaimer:
This training material is made possible by the support of the American
People through the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The contents of this material are the sole
responsibility of Nexant, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the views of
USAID or the United States Government. This material was prepared
under Contract Number AID-386-C-12-00001.