Beyond panels: the vital role of monitoring in the efficiency of solar plants

O photovoltaic plant data monitoring – commercial or residential – is essential for the sector to continue to show its efficiency when talking about performance, economy and sustainability.

This monitoring is already part of the daily routine of this industry: all inverter suppliers solar systems provide customers with applications that collect information from plant performance. Given the expansion of the sector, the The current challenge is to analyze this large amount of data that monitoring accurately generates.

In monitoring, from a device coupled to photovoltaic systems and connected to a Wi-Fi network, the plant performance information are sent in real time to an application, which consolidates this data.

O The objective is to check whether a given plant is working properly, that is, whether the performance expected by the manufacturer is being delivered to the end consumer. Falling plant performance means wasted money and, because of this, monitoring must be precise to identify which interventions are necessary.

The analysis relates power data from the plant and the energy generated, and thus achieves evaluate performance and identify possible drops in performance. In this process, the device sends alerts if it identifies faults, which is of great value for preventive maintenance and reducing losses.

You alerts can point out, for example, dirt on the solar panel, shadows, issues involving cell temperature or module mismatch, among others. They can also identify that even on days with clear skies and radiant sun, energy is not being generated satisfactorily; In other words, the equipment certainly needs maintenance.

More than that, the Monitoring shows the exact energy generation, which can be compared with consumption. If at the beginning of the month the consumer already realizes that they are using more energy than is being produced, and the panel is functioning properly, it is possible to pay more attention and reduce consumption to avoid scares with the energy bill.

Monitoring also allows you to see the savings, in reais, on the electricity bill and the return on investment. The data collected makes it possible to calculate the reduction in CO² emissions and the equivalent of planted trees. And they make it possible to obtain the radiation index of the location where the panel is installed.

In other words, these applications collect an immense amount of “data” that needs to be well monitored. If this can already be complicated for an end customer at home, the difficulty grows exponentially when we talk about an integrator, which has hundreds or thousands of plants delivered. and monitored.

Therefore, a robust and adaptable monitoring system capable of dealing with the variety of data generated by different equipment in solar plants is increasingly essential.

Because of this, this segment is entering a new phase, with unified platform technology, which centralizes information collected from several plants and concentrates monitoring on a single basis. Instead of the integrator looking at his clients' plant by plant in isolation, he can, via the platform, have the data processed on a screen.

The unified platform helps to filter information, defining points that require more attention – it goes so far as to process the information it collects, including from equipment distributors, and open calls to correct any problems.

In other words, in addition to preventive maintenance, intelligent monitoring is also a critical system for quickly resolving problems, preventing degradation of equipment performance and extending its useful life.

The article published in International Journal of Photoenergy, “Monitoring, Diagnosis, and Power Forecasting for Photovoltaic Fields: A Review”, addressed the importance of the efficient interaction of these data for accurate diagnosis and power predictions, which are essential for optimizing the efficiency and sustainability of photovoltaic installations.

The article highlights that advanced monitoring solutions can help operators better understand the underlying causes of failures or drops in performance, allowing for quick and assertive interventions.

Does the platform generate daily reports? monthly?weekly that help the integrator maintain relationships with customers even after the sale.

As we are not talking about a recurring sales product – solar panels have an average lifespan of 25 years – constant contact via monitoring with this end user can help with referrals from other customers.

Solar panels are long-lasting and therefore it is reasonable to think that some complications will arise during this period.

Constant monitoring ensures that the customer has agility to solve problems and the possibility of being sure that the equipment is operating at optimal capacity.

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