Toshiba has unveiled a PV management platform within its Spinex for Energy portfolio that enables real-time monitoring and O&M of multiple solar power plants.
The system uses AI to track plant performance, detect errors, calculate capacity and PR metrics, automate reporting and support troubleshooting.
Japanese industrial conglomerate Toshiba has launched EneTogo, a new management platform for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of multiple solar power plants in real time.
EneTogo is part of the company Toshiba Spinex for energy portfolio, a digital services suite aimed at utilities and industrial companies. The PV management platform collects operational data on distributed solar installations, allowing operators to monitor performance, respond to faults and manage inspections more efficiently, the company said.
The system can automatically calculate the capacity factor of the plant by collecting generation data from each of its inverters. It can automatically detect equipment that is not producing any output despite available solar radiation, while analyzing factors such as weather data, maintenance data, construction work or production curtailment to determine the cause of downtime. AI models estimate lost generation during downtime, allowing automated load calculations based on power output instead of manual reporting.
The platform also introduces performance ratio (PR) monitoring at the individual power conversion system (PCS) level. PR values are often used to evaluate whether a solar installation is performing as expected in relation to the available solar energy. Using a proprietary forecast model that includes measurements of solar radiation, PV panel capacity and installation angles, EneTogo estimates the expected hourly production for each PCS. Operators can compare actual performance to the predicted PR baseline, allowing early detection of underperforming equipment.
An embedded AI-driven troubleshooting tool allows PV plant operators to communicate via chat with a generative AI assistant to diagnose any equipment faults. Based on the platform’s existing database of fault events, repair histories and inspection data, the system suggests possible causes and solutions. Toshiba says this feature can help less experienced personnel quickly identify corrective actions, speeding error resolution and reducing downtime.
The platform also includes a feature that automatically generates operational reports and incident summaries. By integrating plant performance data with generative AI, the system can produce draft reports on routine operations, equipment failures and possible countermeasures.
Toshiba says its Spinex service is currently being used for solar installations with a total capacity of 929 MW in Japan.
Looking ahead, the company plans to expand the platform beyond solar installations to support battery storage systems, solar-plus-storage facilities and wind power plants. The company also expects demand to increase, especially among high-voltage and extra-high-voltage solar installations with a capacity of 50 kW or more, where efficient maintenance and operational coordination are critical to maximizing energy yield.
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