Technology company Morgan Solar, in collaboration with Clearway Energy Group, has released a white paper on IV curve data. The white paper, entitled “Suboptimal field performance to blame with Inline IV curve tracing”, explores how Clearway uses Morgan Solar’s IV DAQ to diagnose DC side losses and define repowering strategies that improve plant yield.
A Clearway project in Illinois.
For independent power producers (IPPs) focused on long-term site profitability, Morgan Solar’s IV DAQ provides a comprehensive module health management strategy and perspectives on monitoring DC system interactions. Unlike inverter-based data and drone scans, IV DAQs offer data granularity and longevity. Continuous measurement of module performance provides essential bottom-up insights into how DC systems interact over time.
The article delves into a diagnostic case where data from the IV DAQ was used to isolate the cause of summer power loss phenomena at a mid-life solar power plant. An important aspect of solar installation design is ensuring that module string configurations match the inverter’s MPPT systems. The white paper highlights how deviations in module specifications can upset this balance, leading to significant energy production losses.
By isolating these anomalies using IV DAQ data, the study identifies how module degradation and higher-than-expected temperature coefficients result in a condition known as ‘undervoltage’. This condition causes the Pmp (maximum power point) module to fall below the MPPT window, leading to reduced energy production on warm, sunny days – when the plant should be most productive. Through detailed modeling of degradation rates and temperature coefficient changes enabled by the IV DAQ, the Clearway team was able to predict the financial impact of these undervoltage losses and develop an informed repowering strategy for the site.
“To address module health assessment, Clearway Energy Group used Morgan Solar’s in-line IV curve tracers. These sensors continuously collect data about the health of the modules and how the modules are limited by operating conditions in the plant and the environment. By placing these sensors at strategic points throughout a factory, module-specific factors such as degradation, contamination and bifacial amplification can be monitored and tested, as well as the balance of system interactions with inverters and trackers,” said Bill Shisler, president of O&M Electrical. Engineering at Clearway Energy Group.
“Morgan Solar’s high-quality, high-frequency IV curve data enhances the solar industry’s ability to understand asset performance and make critical decisions about cleaning, warranty and resupply,” said JP Morgan, CTO at Morgan Solar. “Better data leads to better decisions.”
News item from Morgan Solar