An Evaluation Method for PV System to identify system losses by means of utilizing monitoring data

Takashi OOZEKI*, Kenji OTANI*, and Kosuke KUROKAWA** * Research Center for Photovoltaic, National institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) AIST Tsukuba Central 2, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 Japan **Tokyo University of agriculture and Technology (TUAT) 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588 Japan ABSTRACTS The rapid growth and expansion of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems utilization is significantly beneficial to the mitigation of environmental issues. Even though they are known as the maintenance free generation, PV systems have to be monitored and evaluated their output energy since certain troubles have been reported. Therefore, an evaluation method for PV systems seems to be necessary. In our laboratory with TUAT, the sophisticated verification (SV) method, which is the evaluation method for PV systems, has been developed. The method can estimate system losses by using a few utilized monitoring data items despite of numerous kinds of losses. The paper describes to summarize the SV method, and examples of evaluation results. INTORODUCTION The rapid growth and expansion of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems utilization is significantly beneficial to the mitigation of environmental issues. Even though they are known as the maintenance free generation, PV systems have to be monitored and evaluated their output energy since certain troubles have been reported. In fact, some PV systems could not generate energy as much as they are expected - shading effect around buildings and trees, the failure of system rating, the repression of output energy by over voltage control, and the failure of construction, and so on. Therefore, an evaluation method for PV systems seems to be necessary. In our laboratory with TUAT, the sophisticated verification (SV) method [1], which is the evaluation method for PV systems, has been developed. The method can estimate system losses by using a few utilized monitoring data items despite of numerous kinds of losses, which seem not to be measured easily. The paper describes to summarize the SV method. PROPOSED EVALUATION METHOD The SV method can estimate system losses between irradiation energy and system electricity output power. The method needs typical four monitored data such as in-plane irradiation data, cell junction temperature, array output power, and system output power, and allocates system losses to the part of the total system loss. In the latest version of the SV method, classifiable characteristics of PV systems are eight factors: shading losses, optical losses, losses by load mismatching, temperature effect on module efficiency, power conditioner standby losses, power conditioner efficiency, DC circuit losses, and the other losses which reduce the fundamental system performance, for instance; soil on modules, depleted modules, and the erroneous system rate. The essence of method is to use monitoring data of hourly data in a month to identify losses. Using data in the month, the characteristic of system performance can be detected with the specific method and including new

PRINCIPLE OF HOURLY LOSSES IDENTIFICATION

PEINCIPLE OF SHADING AND PEINCIPLE OF MOTHLY LOSS RATES AND PERFROMANCE RATE LINES INCIDENT-ANGLE-DEPENDENT DEFINITION Standard performance : E AS Maximum array output : E Amax

eAS =hA PAS /GS

Other losses : lPO DC circuit losses : lPA Shading : lHS Dependent -Incident-angle : lPI Load mismatch : lPM Efficiency decrease by temperature : lPT Power conditioner stand by Losses : lCS Inverter Losses : lC

eIP eBP rHS rPI eAT eA

Ideal performance : E IP Best performance : EBP

Theoretical array output : EA

Shading rate : RHS

Independence incident angle output: EII

tC
Incident -angle-dependent rate: RPI

eP

Fig 1.

The principle of analysis via the SV method.

1-4244-0016-3/06/$20.00 2006 IEEE

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information. Fig. 1 shows the principle of the SV method. An analysis method needs at least one less than unknown items to calculate unknown items. In order to calculate eight losses in the method, new information such as time line, incident angle, and rate of relations are included with four monitoring data. For example of shading effect as shown Fig. 2, the extracting maximum data each hour was proposed using all of hourly data in the month. The extracted data indicates to be the profiles of a clear day. Moreover, if shading is assumed to exist every day almost in the same way during the month, maximum values for a specific hour cannot reach the level of theoretical data of a clear day. Therefore, a certain level of dip from the theoretical clear day curve can be easily determined to be the shading effect. This method includes time line data.

each data of the system. However, the relation should be changed if the PV system has some losses in a moment. To use all hourly data in a month, the normal relation is identified clearly each PV system. If the PV system has losses reduce the fundamental system performance, for instance; soil on modules, depleted modules, and the erroneous system rate, the proportional line should be down with some rate from the standard performance (25deg. And 1.0kW/m2, AM 1.5). The line can be detected by using all of hourly data in a month despite of including momentary system losses (Fig. 4). Monitoring data of PV system with DC circuit losses are out of straight in the diagram because DC circuit losses are I2R (I: current, R: resistance), and current is in proportional to irradiation. Especially, the relationship is shown in the high irradiation range in the diagram. Therefore, the curvature is drawn in the base on monitoring data of high irradiation area (Fig. 5).

Fig. 2 the detection method of Shading effect As well as detecting shading effect, the incident angle effect can be detected by using hourly data in a month. Plotting all of data each incident angle, the curvature is possible to approximate extracted monitoring data shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 the detection method of fundamental losses

Fig. 5 the detection method of DC circuit losses Hourly losses are calculated by using rate from above relations and monitoring data (Fig. 6). With monitoring data, the parameters of EAS, EIP, EBP are relation with irradiation, and shading losses are estimated by information of time series. Loss of factor is ratio between input and output in each process, and loss ratio is indicated the ratio of each loss to total expected energy of Standard test condition. Loss of factor and loss ratio are determined by following equations.

Fig. 3 the detection method of incident angle effect The correlation diagram between array output and irradiance has the most important information. The array output is normally in proportional to irradiation, and the proportional line at certain rate is drawn in the diagram

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KX =

E xout E xin

eq. (1)

lx =

E XIN (1 - K X ) H PAS A GS

eq. (2)

Where Kx is loss of factor of process X (eg. Shading KHS and so on), and Exout, EXIN are input and output energy. PAS is rated energy of PV system, HA is input energy, irradiation, GS is irradiation on standard condition. X is loss ratio calculated by equation 2.

Moreover, onsite survey was conducted at the PV system of which some losses were increased from the average result. One of them is different between the commercial system rate and the actual system rate. The 18 sites were recognized that system output power was not worth to be expected rate, and the defection ratio of power output was 5.5% to 12.7%. The other losses of those systems were larger than normal system by analyzing of the SV method. Fig. 8 shows an example of the results of the other factor, and the loss factor is low value constantly. Generally, the effect of soil is washed off by raining, but the factor cannot be refreshed to the value of 1.0. As a result of follow-up researching for the system, 20 modules in 140 modules were failed the rating value. The total system rate was 8% lower than expected rate.

eAS eIP eBP eAT eA ep

: Standard Performance : Ideal Performance : Best Performance : array output (temp. correction) : array output : system output

lPO : other loss lHS : loss by shading effect lPI : loss due to incident angle lCS : PC standby loss lPA : DC circuit loss lPM : loss by load mismatch lPT : loss due to rise module temp. lC : loss by power conditioner eff. lErr : Unknown factor

lErr eAS eIP eBP eAT eA eP

irradiation

lPO

l lPA lHS PI

lCS lC lPM lPT

Incident angle Time series

Fig. 8 The result of other factor for one PV system Another example is the case of degradation by the solid on the PV array. Fig. 7 shows the result of the other loss factor for one PV system has two arrays. The result is data at same month, September, from 1996 to 2001.In the figure, the factor is decreasing year by year. Table 1 is indicated the result of the survey on site. The solid factor of array 1 and array 2 were 0.745 and 0.852 (The solid loss was 16~14% after 5years it was installed.). The survey was done at one day on Nov 2001. The result of data at Nov 11 by using the SV method is good agreement with to survey on site.

Fig.6 Energy flow of losses and monitoring data EXAMPLES OF ANALYSIS RESULTS AND APPLICATIONS Examples of analysis results Fig. 7 reveals the percentage of losses and shows an example of the evaluation result for FT of public - the total of 187 systems form 1995/2 to 2001/12 - facilities by using the SV method. The figure intends to the average of losses of PV systems.

Fig. 7 The evaluation result for PV Field Test Program for public facilities systems by using the SV method (1995/4-2001/12)

Fig .9 the result of other loss factor for one system by using the SV method.

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Table 1. Comparing the SV method and on site survey Others factor evaluated by SV method 2001/9 2001/10 2001/11 Soil factor evaluated on site survey Array 1 0.704 0.744 0.741 0.745 Array 2 0.797 0.854 0.859 0.852

In the other case, the load mismatch losses was increased at some months. As a results of onsite survey, the voltage of utility is higher than standard value, and the inverse energy flow from PV to utility cased more higher voltage. Due to the high voltage, the PV system controlled to decrease output power; therefore, the load mismatch loss was increased. The result of the case by using the SV method shows Fig. 10.

(a) Previous management system of PV systems

Fig 10 An evaluation result under the operation of grid voltage rise suppression mode Applications The SV method is useful for management tool for the operation of PV systems. In the future, the output energy (kWh) will be important as well as installation amount (kWp). At the moment, the early detection of failure is necessary and management method is required. Fig.11 (a) shows the previous management system of PV system and proposed systems. The previous system is passive method and the user asks the company. The company, then, conducts onsite survey, and does hearing to user. The company research the PV system, might come back to own company and onsite again with prediction courses from onsite survey. In addition with that system, the onsite survey is required to all of systems. On the other hands, the proposed management systems are composed of monitoring data and analyzing monitored data, and then onsite survey as shown Fig 11. (b). The monitoring data and the data analysis can screen PV systems if they have trouble or not. Additionally, the data analysis is helpful to predict the case of trouble; consequently, onsite survey can be smoothly by pre-established.

(b) Proposed system with monitoring data and data analysis Fig. 11 Proposed management system of PV systems CONCLUSION The paper describes to summarize the SV method, and examples of evaluation results. The method can estimate eight losses by using utilizing monitoring data items with new information such as time line, incident angle, and rate of relations are included. The number of PV system have been evaluated by using monitoring data obtained some field test project in Japan. There have been some detective systems, and detected by monitored and evaluated. It is important to evaluate the PV system and energy in the life of PV system. Therefore, the initial cost is not only emphasized but also energy management of PV system is reviewed by using the evaluation method of the PV system such as the SV method. REFERENCES [1] T.OOZEKI, et al, An evaluation result of PV system rd Field test program, WCPEC 3 , 2003

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