PV TRAINING – DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND

MAINTENANCE
Q&A SESSION 3

September – October 2010

http://www.leonardo-energy.org/node/5948

chokechai chongsiriratanakul 2: The losses due to dispersion of parameters,

What happens if we installed increase. It is not recommended that different
different type of panels to the types of panel (crystalline, thin film, CIS, ….)
same inverter, considering share the same inverter. The suitable solution
same panel type in same string is that every type of panel is connected to a
with same Voc among each different inverter
string ?
CHANAN: how the string The String Controller is a new technology and
monitor can alarm a cut of the manufacturers do not specify how they
cable during night? detect the cable cut. For further information,
a manufacturer of this kind of devices would

Bouaziz: Do you recommend
measuring the I-V curve in the
life of the facility to monitor
performance degradation?
Aitor Amezua: Regarding to
inverter maintenance, is it
common to that manufacturers
offer this service or is it done
via maintenance companies?
Are there different practices
depending on the size of the PV
plant? Maybe depending on the
inverter size?
Ed Servello: How can I get
information about a real plant
in operation today?
robsiu77@yahoo.com: How can
a cell be calibrated? When is
calibrated?
be Carlo Gavazzi.
Yes, it is recommended the measure of the I-
V curve of the whole photovoltaic system (not
every panel). With this, we have results for
the annual degradation of the facility and we
can improve the diagnosis of breakdowns
First, you need to verify whether the
manufacturer has service of assistance in
your country. If this service is not available,
you need to trust companies of maintenance
or to make it yourself supported by own staff
and in addition you need to have spare parts
in the plant. You should assess the possibility
of having many small inverters, thus, with a
minimum own staff, you can do the
substitution in case of breakdown and then,
to send the equipment to be repaired by the
manufacturer. The operation of replacement
in case of inverters of 5-10 kW could last only
10 minutes and you will not lose any
production.
In the practice, it is not easy to have this
information because usually the operators
reserve this information. The most
trustworthy data are the ones given by
laboratories as CENER in Spain, beacuse they
do real measurements in plants. But it is not
easy that they give information reserved
without the authorization of their clients
To get a calibrated cell, contact the
manufacturer. The calibrated cells must be
sent to the manufacturer or to the laboratory
in order that they issues a new certificate of
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 calibration, once every 3 years (maximum)

Martin Gieler: In case of larger If the plant has a large size, it is desirable to
facilities: is there any need to have staff for maintenance and / or security.
have staff onsite? For facilities over 2 Mw you can consider at
least one person, who could solve simple
electrical problems or substitute certain
elements of the facility.
Raj: can i use different Yes, usually the inverter manufacturers use
inverters and different standard communication buses, such us
combiner box for RS485 or Ethernet, so they are usually
communication? compatible with different converter brands.
By the other side, it is important to choose a
software which is compatible with the
inverters we are choosing, and it might be
difficult finding a commercial solution that
supports several brands of inverters for a
good price.
Jonny Huck: In the equation for The length, d, measured on the horizontal
the distance you should leave plane, between 2 rows of modules, of height
between panels (d=h/k), what h, that could produce shades on the facility
did the parameter 'k' refer to? will have to guarantee a minimum of 4 hours
of the Sun concerning the midday of the
winter solstice (summer in southern
hemisphere). This d will be superior to the
value obtained by the formula: d = h/tangent
(61 °-latitude) where 1/tangent (61 °-latitude)
is a coefficient dimensionless called k.
frigitar: Are monitoring systems Normally the monitoring systems are
continuously manned by designed to be automatic, so that they do not
personnel or are there need personnel to be operated. This is the
algorithms that can reason why they usually need calibrated cells
automatically detect if e.g. and weather stations, in order to have a
power loss is due to decrease reference. A good monitoring system should

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in irradiance... etc. consider all these parameters and give us all
the information, just sending an alarm if the
plant is really producing with a low
performance.

Amr: For 40deg and above, is 40 º is a maximum value for many inverters.
electronic inverters safe to use If the inverters is placed in a closed room, it is
necessary to design a system of ventilation to
reduce this temperature
Thomas Witt: What would be Minimal size does not exist in the
the smallest recommendable photovoltaic technology. This is concretely
plant size? one of its important advantages.
Nevertheless, the plants must have minimal
profitability. For the minimal profitability it is
necessary to contemplate on the one hand
the incomes and on the other hand the
expenses including amortization and financial
costs. It is possible that the part of the
installation necessary for the evacuation of
energy (connection to the electrical grid) has
a cost that forces us to a bigger size of the
plant if we want to reach the desirable
profitability