Fluctuations in a photovoltaics plant’s output are inherent and caused by various reasons. Without a quick and adequate reaction, plant operators lose time and money. In addition to that, underperformance of power plants may lead to penalties.
Precise on-site measurement of the current solar irradiance and other meteorological parameters like temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction allows to compare the estimated power output to the real plant performance.
Know your PV plant better by asking these two questions
In this case study a leading provider of metering, SCADA, and energy storage technology solutions, Trimark Associates, Inc. shares how they use on-site meteorological measurements to enable remote operation of PV plants. Data Scientist Matthew Kesselring explains that there are basically two questions to answer to know the performance of a PV plant:
- How much is a site producing?
- How much should it be producing?
Reduce production losses with well-founded decision guidance
Trimark shares energy and meteorological data of the Riverside plant in Southern California to illustrate the value of having on-site measurements. In two data sets collected in different weeks, you can see how energy output may differ from estimations, in regard to the impact of microclimate parameters. The analysis of this data gives the operator guidance if they have to contact technical support or just wait for the sun to shine again.
Download our first of a series of case studies to read how reliable real-time data helps plant operators check if an unexpected drop in power output requires taking measures immediately to minimize production losses.