How appropriate are glass backsheet modules for FPV installations? If the elements of a mission are broken – because of the setting through which they’re situated, because of low-quality supplies, or incorrect set up strategies – can they get replaced? Or ought to the developer begin the mission from scratch?
These questions and extra have come up this yr pv journal Focus periods – a collection of quality-focused panels and shows held as a part of The smarter E Europe in Munich final week.
As a part of the occasion, pv journalEditor at Large Jonathan Gifford presents a case research of a ten MW FPV mission in Southeast Asia the place issues went improper, nearly from the beginning. The mission isn’t named however the photographs are shared anonymously pv journal proven to the viewers.
The photographs present burnt cables, damaged glass modules, and defective connectors. There had been many issues, and as Gifford identified, many flaws appeared simply months after the mission was commissioned in June 2023. An preliminary inspection performed in September 2023 revealed severe flaws. . Third-party element consultants had been known as in in November 2023, and so they found a number of errors.
Pictures from the mission present cable partially submerged in water, adhesive residue on modules proper throughout the array, connector mismatches, UV harm to cables, and poor makes an attempt to restore broken cables.
Clearly these concerned are in over their heads. But the occasion was not about naming and shaming; the mission stays nameless for some purpose. The photographs spotlight potential issues within the sector and methods the {industry} can keep away from such errors sooner or later.
As many of the audio system who participated to debate the case research agreed, the standard requirements for FPV tasks are very demanding. There must be an industry-wide effort to deal with this.
Modules and glass
Dr. Fangdan Jiang, director of photo voltaic R&D at Chinese PV producer Tongwei, mentioned he believes the {industry} must replace a number of the know-how and high quality management processes round n-type, specifically, as a result of it has extra advanced manufacturing course of than p-type and passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) counterparts.
It is vital for high quality points to be caught and addressed on the cell stage, earlier than they’re assembled into modules and positioned in PV vegetation, he added.
UV publicity and solar harm are among the many points recognized within the case research in Southeast Asia. Jiang mentioned his firm, Tongwei, is now working with others akin to Canadian Solar and Jinko Solar, to suggest a UV check container for cells (as an alternative of modules). UV radiation causes the failure of the encapsulation materials and different elements of the modules.
“It’s crucial to know the standard threat upfront,” he mentioned, explaining why Tongwei is specializing in the cell stage as an alternative of the module degree. The firm can also be concerned in some fisheries PV tasks, however they’re in freshwater, in contrast to the Southeast Asia case research, which is in saltwater. In addition, it isn’t often mounted on floating buildings, which makes the circumstances completely different. For freshwater tasks, Tongwei makes use of bifacial glass-glass modules. The Southeast Asian set up, alternatively, has much less sturdy glass-backsheet modules.
Cabling and different challenges
Panelist Jan Mastny agreed with Jiang’s case-by-case method, including that the {industry} wants to grasp that the FPV setting could be very completely different from different, customary photo voltaic tasks.
“I do know there are a lot of initiatives associated to the adoption of requirements for greatest observe tips for floating PV. They will not be but prepared for publication,” mentioned Mastny, who has a few years of expertise as an impartial photo voltaic guide.
Caution is particularly vital within the growth section of tasks as a result of the {industry}, in lots of instances, is evolving to be “extra dynamic” than some present tips permit, Mastny mentioned. . “This makes it much more vital that the event section of the mission be very cautious and transcend what the rules and necessities ask us to do.”
Mastny’s space of experience is cabling. He mentioned that the case research shouldn’t have used aluminum cables, as a result of they don’t seem to be appropriate for FPV. “We have to think about, not solely the moisture or extreme moisture, but in addition the dynamic load and the construction. Not solely the cable however many different supplies have to be adjusted or tailored to the scenario.”
The downside with requirements goes past cabling all of the elements of a mission. The {industry} wants to appreciate that the present requirements will not be a “proof-of-concept” or proof of high quality for tasks. “The customary isn’t an indicator of high quality, it is the place high quality really stops,” Mastny added.
“The customary is the minimal consensus of all producers,” in line with Dominic Buergi, head of renewable power companies at Swiss-headquartered provider Stäubli Electrical Connectors.
Knowledge switch
Buergi’s specialty is connectors, and like his fellow panelists he affords his case research verdict. In his view, one of the best ways for the sector to beat such incidents is to spend money on “information switch.” He identified that Stäubli supplies coaching applications for installers and different stakeholders, in order that they perceive the implications of mismatched connectors and how you can keep away from them.
Mastny agreed with Buergi that extra coaching requirements are wanted to keep away from disasters just like the one in Southeast Asia. He typically finds what he calls “very inventive” methods to interpret high quality necessities. Signaling to his fellow panelists, he mentioned that he’s certain that nobody has seen many developments relating to the perfect observe, although PV tasks have been put in for greater than 20 years in a business scale. The case research mission is the tip of the iceberg.
“These sorts of basic issues occur on a regular basis. People have a tendency to not study from different individuals’s errors,” Mastny mentioned.
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