Plant Efficiency Analysis: Operating Point vs. Pmp Assessing The Energy Left on the Table - Case Study

1. Problem Statement
Ensuring sites are yielding as much energy as possible is a critical component of asset management. Unfortunately, expectations about site performance are set by models which are created before a site is built.These models are rarely tested or verified once a site becomes operational, leaving room for critical forecasting errors that complicate all aspects of site management. Losses at the module, string and inverter levels are difficult to differentiate from standard performance data. It is even more difficult to assess both causes and costs. How can we assess the performance loss in real time?

2. Our Approach
Module-level I-V curves are taken in isolation from the rest of the field to assess what the PV module could do at a moment in time, recorded as the Maximum power point (Pmp). The MSI PV Deepsweep also records what the module is actually doing, i.e. the Operating point (Pop) of the module, prior to doing each I-V sweep.