Keeping PV plants under control

Transcription

1 Keeping PV plants under control A Sybac engineer is checking the substation of a 12 MW utility-scale project. Photo: sybac even relatively small technical problems can put the profitability of Pv plants in danger if these problems go unnoticed. to avoid any unnecessary downtime, contracts have become commonplace for big projects. offered s entail everything from remote monitoring to full agreements over the entire lifetime of a plant. s&we presents international players in the field of photovoltaics o&m. In contrast to a conventional power plant, the PV version is said to have high initial costs, but low operational expenses. But just because it seems to require relatively little effort to maintain a PV unit in comparison to a thermal power plant, it does not mean that the former is off the hook when it comes to regular maintenance and monitoring. Despite the advances in PV technology, the typical problems with which plant operators must cope have remained largely unchanged, as provider Raising Power points out. The typical weak spot among components is the inverter. Virtually all companies use remote monitoring systems to detect problems quickly and efficiently. But although this method offers great advantages, the monitoring systems and the data transfer itself are considered by most companies to be among the most frequent sources of errors. Depending on the monitoring process of the plant, a common problem can be too many as well as false alarms, says Mischa Paterna, Managing Director of Suncycle. Inverter issues and monitoring issues rank at the top. We do recognise an increase in grid issues as well, reports Thomas Nolden, Technical Director at Sybac Service. Module damage is another typical defect, often originating from PID or hot spots. Common problems are ageing PV modules, defective communication boards and, overall, the availability of spare 66

2 parts. With the general ageing of the components and the simultaneous discontinuation of product lines, the situation will worsen, says Klaus Krüder, Managing Director of Juwi O&M. In certain areas, an added problem is theft, says Burkhard Söhngen, Managing Director of ENcome Energy Performance. Many of the defects are not inevitable, but are caused by mistakes during installation or even during construction planning. First of all, it s about insufficient often badly done electrical installations, causing the insulation of string cables to become defective. The most frequent technical issue we encounter is incorrect wiring. Secondly, many parks are not delivering the expected economic saving because of insufficient planning, says André Kremer, Managing Director of Gildemeister Energy Solutions. When choosing a company, track records and reference projects give hints as to the experience of an enterprise. Several providers emphasise their independence from project developers and EPC businesses. Because many operational issues are caused by errors in planning and construction, it is an argument in favour of independent providers. However, even independent companies are usually subsidiaries of project developers. Other companies have become a one-stop shop, supporting customers in everything from planning and financing to construction, operation and maintenance. ENcome Energy Performance, headquartered in Klagenfurt, Austria, is by its own account one of the largest independent technical providers for PV power plants in Europe. ENcome is responsible for more than 700 PV power plants with a total capacity of 500 MW. Services include operations and maintenance, technical asset management, technical projects and advisory. The company has subsidiaries and offices in Denmark, France,, Italy, Spain, and the UK. It mostly relies on its own staff, but collaborates with selected regional partners where needed. ENcome emphasises its status as an independent planning and construction company. The company engages TÜV-certified experts and licenced electricians. Employees also receive special training on all major inverter brands. ENcome is certified according to ISO 9001:2008. We offer only s such as operations and maintenance, technical asset management and monitoring, in order to avoid conflicts of interest with project development and EPC projects, says the company s Managing Director, Burkhard Söhngen. Gildemeister Energy Solutions from Würzburg,, operates in, France, Italy, Romania, Portugal, the UK, Egypt and the Dominican Republic and offers its s to customers from around the globe. The company is responsible for more than 150 PV parks with a total capacity of 350 MW. Besides operations and maintenance Your ambitions. our motivation. Professional monitoring for innovative solar projects Whatever you plan, our monitoring solutions will offer a great contribution to make your project successful. More than 11 GWp monitored solar power and 40 years experience lead to thoughtful solutions to maximize your yields and secure your investment. VCOM your remote monitoring portal SCADA Center your onsite monitoring solution blue'log the modular data logger See how we can support your ambitions: Solar Edition 67

3 GP Joule operates a 24/7 monitoring centre to ensure a fast response to any arising difficulty. Photo: GP Joule At the 6.5 MW PV plant in the Italian region of Apulia, Gildemeister Energy Solutions is in charge of the entire technical management. Photo: Gildemeister s, the core competency of Gildemeister Energy Solutions is turnkey EPC s combined with project development and financing, where the company relies on a global network of investors. During their ten-year history, Gildemeister has installed more than 8,000 systems. Projects range from small rooftop systems to large PV parks. Service packages can entail the maintenance of green spaces, module cleaning, safety checks, refitting, system monitoring, extensive analyses, revision and technical consultation as well as commercial and insurance management. Gildemeister Energy Solutions is a certified partner of many inverter manufacturers and holds a TÜV certificate as a professional company for the maintenance of photovoltaic plants. When choosing a company, it is very important to ensure the company is a certified and bankable specialist, says André Kremer, the company s Managing Director. GP Joule based in Reußenköge in the north of offers its s domestically as well as in France and Italy. The product and portfolio consists of comprehensive agreements, expert reports, monitoring and module cleaning. Helge Feddersen, Head of the Plant Management Department at GP Joule, points to the company s longstanding experience with Refu AEI inverters and its ample supply of spare parts. GP Joule has subsidiaries at different locations across the three countries and operates a 24/7 monitoring centre. Services are provided by in-house staff or partners around Europe. Juwi Operations & Maintenance from Wörr stadt,, offers 24/7 remote monitoring including a customer web portal and extensive reporting. Across, juwi O&M also provides inspections, maintenance and repairs at fixed response times on site as well as retrofits and security systems. Basic on-site s are supplied by subcontractors. All other s, such as repair work on inverters, communication systems, medium-voltage units or thermography, are provided by in-house specialists. A yield-related or securityrelated error can only be detected and eliminated early on with the help of continuous remote monitoring by a professional technical management company in conjunction with competent on site. Quick repairs are essential for safe and yieldoptimised plant operation, says Klaus Krüder, Managing Director of Juwi O&M. Juwi manages 330 PV projects with a total capacity of 640 MW. Juwi O&M is owned by holding company Juwi AG. The headquarters of KRD Global Group Sp. z o.o. are located in Warsaw, Poland. The group provides a wide variety of consulting and other s in the field of renewable energies. In the large-scale PV plant segment, it designs and sets up systems as an EPC or turnkey contractor or procures PV-related products and components. If needed, KRD will also win over investors and handle the capital investment process for the plant. Further up the value chain, the company offers s for manufacturers of cells and modules, such as factory design, ramp-up, the recruiting of key employees and module certification. The company operates in Poland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain and the UK, but offers its s on the global stage. It is 68

4 responsible for 20 PV projects with a total of 80 MW. In 2015, KRD built the largest PV plant in Poland on behalf of a major Polish energy supplier. Two prominent customers of KRD are AEG and RWE. Raising Power from Augsburg,, manages 850 PV projects with a total capacity of 500 MW. The company specialises in operations and maintenance and the repowering of existing PV plants. The planning and installation business is left to its parent company, Meteocontrol. Regular customers include investors and plant owners, but Raising Power also offers its s to other O&M providers as an OEM solution. Most of technical operations management is carried out by in-house staff, whereas on-site s are mainly provided by certified partners. Suncycle, headquartered in Hamburg,, offers its s in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the US. The list of customers includes not only PV plant owners and operators, but also insurance companies for PV systems and manufacturers of PV components, making for a diverse product portfolio. To test modules, Suncycle operates its own engineering and testing centre, where it has examined and repaired more than 2 million PV modules to date. In addition, the company owns mobile laboratories. To PV parks, Suncycle has in-house Polish KRD designed and mounted this 107 kw rooftop installation in Burgos, Spain. The company is also responsible for monitoring and maintenance as the first Polish business to install a PV installation in Spain, according to KRD. technician teams, supported by more than 200 partners across Europe. The price per kilowatt should not be the make-or-break scenario for a company a fully independent provider with all necessary resources from one single Photo: KrD Global MAXIMIZES THE PERFORMANCE AND THE EFFICIENCY OF YOUR PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS! - "ULTRASOFT" WASHING BRUSH (LENGHT UP TO mm) OR MULTI-SPRINKLER BAR AT LOW PRESSURE (40 bar) AND LITERS WATER TANK - AUTOMATIC ELECTRONIC CONTROL OF THE DISTANCE OF THE WASHING SYSTEM FROM THE PANELS BY ULTRASONIC SENSORS - THE TELESCOPIC BOOM CAN BE EXTENDED UP TO 9 m AND WASH IN BOTH SIDES - ALL TERRAIN MACHINE THANKS TO THE TRACKED UNDERCARRIAGE CAN FACE EVERY GROUND CONDITIONS lt TURBO DIESEL ENGINE 59 HP Solar Edition Italy Tel r.a. - Fax Web: export@messersi.it 69 S.p.A.

5 Juwi has in-house staff carry out all complex tasks such as repair work on inverters or thermographic surveys. Photo: Juwi o&m provider is worth a lot more, says Mischa Paterna, Managing Director of Suncycle. Suncycle manages more than 70 projects of altogether more than 60 MW of capacity. Sybac Service is based in Kehrig,, and offers the full package in, including PV system, maintenance and management, remote support, insurance management, software data management, green waste administration and lab tests for components. Sybac s and maintenance system has been certified by German TÜV Rheinland. In other countries, Sybac establishes both collaborations and in-house teams. For example, in Japan Sybac relies on in-house staff trained by the German parent company. A similar approach is planned for Turkey. In the UK, Sybac employs a subcontractor that is supervised by the German Sybac team. Sybac is involved in 120 projects with a total capacity of 260 MW, of which around 220 MW are free-field installations. Eva Augsten Service companies Company name Headquarters Markets Services ENcome Energy Performance Gildemeister Energy Solutions GP Joule Juwi Operations & Maintenance KRD Global Group Sp. z o.o. Suncycle Sybac Service Raising Power Klagenfurt, Austria Würzburg, Reußenköge, Wörrstadt, Warsaw, Poland Hamburg, Kehrig, Augsburg, Europe Global (e.g.,, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, UK, Egypt, Dominican Republic), France, Italy : all products and s; abroad: remote monitoring only Poland, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Portugal ; worldwide Europe, MENA, USA : in-house s, other countries: knowledge transfer Global Operations & maintenance; technical asset management; technical projects; advisory Project development; turnkey EPC solutions; project financing; monitoring & control; maintenance; annual inspections; cleaning; technical management; retrofitting & optimisation; repair & spare parts management; thermography; commercial and insurance management Full ; expert reports; monitoring; module cleaning Technical and commercial management (incl. 24/7 remote monitoring); customer web portal; extensive reporting Design; procurement; installation; monitoring; on-site inspections; production and certification Operations & maintenance; test and repair; recall management; engineering & certification; after-sales s; supply chain solutions; PV logistics Service and maintenance of PV systems; remote support and troubleshooting; regular maintenance; documentation and reports; operational management; laboratory (sun simulator, electroluminescence chamber, etc.); insurance management; software data management; green waste management; etc. E.g., remote monitoring, on-site inspection, repair No. of PV projects Total capacity [MW] Website > 700 > > ~ 330 ~ > 70 > (around 220 free-field)