PV Module-Level Monitoring System Helps Improve Photovoltaic Power Plant Efficiency

This project is for the Jiande 20MWp agro-photovoltaic complementary power generation project. It is proposed to be built in Nanpu Village, Shouchang Town, Jiande City, Zhejiang Province, with a total construction land area of 400,000 square meters. The design service life is 25 years, with an average annual grid-connected power generation of 20,019.3 MWh. The power plant was completed in 2015 and connected to the grid in 2016. After grid connection, the power generation efficiency was 50%, which is far below the scale of similar photovoltaic power plants. There were no obvious environmental factors at the site that could cause a reduction in power generation. Therefore, it was necessary to analyze the data of the solar panels to find the cause.

1. Project Objective

This project involves the installation of module-level monitoring components on 2 strings of 220 photovoltaic panels for data sampling and analysis to identify the reasons for the low power generation efficiency.

2. On-Site Environment

The site has dense vegetation, which can grow higher than the height of the modules and cause shading. The surrounding mountains can also cause shading during certain times of the day. Additionally, the color inconsistency among the modules suggests uneven degradation of the panels.

3. System Diagram

4. On-Site Construction

(1) Module Level Installation of Module Level Monitoring Terminals

(2) Installation of Collection Box

5. Analysis and Processing

The module data is uploaded to the cloud platform through a collection box, where the Fonrich Photovoltaic Management System analyzes the status of the modules and reports any issues promptly. By comparing module-level data, the analysis can determine:

(1)Whether the modules are in a shaded state, calculating the impact of plant and mountain shading on power generation.

(2)The consistency of module degradation rates and the impact of inconsistent degradation on power generation.

(3)The grounding state of the modules and their voltage to the ground.

(4)The real-time status of the modules.

6. Equipment Composition

System Solution