Scientists in Indonesia have investigated early operational defects in a 24.9 MW Solar -PV system in Sumatra and have identified hotspot formation as the dominant defect. They also detected 282 cases of glass cracks, 350 cases of junction box errors and shadow effects linked to module defects.
Researchers from the University of Surabaya of Indonesia have conducted an investigation into the early operational defects of a PV factory of 24.9 MW on the Sumatra Island of West -Indonesia.
The analysis started in August 2022, when the facility went online, and ended in August 2024.
“The relatively short operational period ensures that the observed defects mainly arise from early operational factors, instead of long -term wear,” explains the main author Elieser Tyrigan. “This research is intended to categorize and quantify the observed types of defects, including hotspot effects, glass cracks, failures of the connection box and foggy or discolored glass, to understand their impact on system performance.”
In general, the Sumatra site has 64.140 PV panels, with a capacity of 390 W each. They are all installed in a configuration mounted on the ground, with the modules in series connected to form strings. Each string consists of 30 modules that are connected in series.
“During field observations, the operating voltage and the operating current were checked and compared to the technical specifications of the module to identify potential irregularities,” the researcher said. “The observations were aimed at identifying abnormalities in the ability of specific moduler series. A string was considered abnormal when the power of the inverter was considerably lower than the theoretical values calculated for the string under the given environmental conditions. These deviations were further investigated to determine the presence of module defects. “
Subsequently, the examination of the specific module visual inspections with direct measurements and more in -depth analysis included detailed measurements and thermal imaging. The data collected from the visual inspections and measurements were analyzed to determine the prevalence and impact of each type of defect.
“The results of the observations indicate that within the first two years of the operation of a total of 64,400 installed PV modules, around 678 modules showed operational abnormalities caused by various previously mentioned defects,” the scientists explained, “the scientists explained from. “The observed failure percentage, emphasizes the importance of early monitoring and maintenance Longevity of PV systems to guarantee. “
For the results, most of the problems were associated with hotspot formation. In particular, 350 in conjunction with abnormalities, 282 authorities of glass cracks, 42 cases of the swelling of the connecting box and seven cases of foggy or discolored glass. In addition, cases of shadow of surrounding objects such as trees, piles and buildings and of self-shadow between PV arroys were also identified.
“Analysis show that semifined modules perform better than full-cell modules in reducing hotspot effects because of their lower current per cell and improved bypass diode configuration, reducing heat disiperation and power losses,” concluded Professor Tarigan. “In addition, reducing the number of modules in a string effectively lowers the string voltage and electricity, so that the severity of hotspots is minimized.”
Their findings were presented in “Identification of early operational defects in photovoltaic modules: a case study of a 24.9 MWP Solar -PV system in Sumatra, Indonesia“Published in Unconventional means.
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