Operations and maintenance are the 2 main components that are required in a solar PV plant. proper maintenance of a PV plant is essential to maximise both energy yield and the plant’s useful life. Optimal operations must strike a balance between maximising production and minimising cost. In this blog, we will be covering the different types of operations are that are necessary to perform and explaining them in detail.
Here are the different PV operations that need to be performed-
1.Administration of Operations:
It ensures the superb utilization and manipulation of O&M activities. Administration directs the use of allocated resources to the required level. If all the activities are administered in a planned manner, the optimum output from the solar PV plant can be expected.
2. Conducting Operations:
Operations include any day to day operation of the system to maximize electricity delivery, control cutbacks and adjust settings such as electricity factor. This is the day to day execution aspect of operations where perform tasks which directly relate to the performance of the plant. For example, maximizing electricity delivery will ensure the required demands for best performance of a solar PV plant are being met.
3. Directions for the consummation of Work:
Specifies the policies and provisions to ensure that protection is carried out cautiously and productively. Formulation of policies gives direction to the operations process and streamlines the framework of what needs to be done. This aspect requires strategic planning and therefore needs to good time allocation.
4. Monitoring:
A monitoring system is an essential part of a PV plant. Monitoring devices are crucial for the calculation of liquidated damages and confirmation that the EPC contractor has fulfilled its obligations. Automatic data acquisition and monitoring technology are also essential during the operational phase in order to maintain a high level of performance, reduce downtime and ensure rapid fault detection. A monitoring system allows the yield of the plant to be monitored and compared with theoretical calculations and raise warnings on a daily basis if there is a performance shortfall. Faults can, therefore, be detected and rectified before they have an appreciable effect on production. Without a reliable monitoring system, it can take many months for a poorly performing plant to be identified. This can lead to unnecessary revenue loss. Efficient and dependable monitoring systems like TrackSo helps in the evaluation of ensuing data from the plant to continue to be knowledgeable about gadget status. Includes comparing effects of system monitoring to benchmark expectation and providing reviews to facility stakeholders.
5. Operator Knowledge, Protocols and Documentation:
This segment ensures that operator knowledge, training and overall performance will help secure and dependable plant operation. Operator knowledge is an important aspect which directly affects the day to day functioning of the plant. Lack of knowledge or small mistakes sometimes results in a long term loss. Formulation of protocols and documentation and then following them in a disciplined manner also plays an important role in getting the desired output out of the plant.
If the aforementioned operational activities are carried out with a good plan and disciplined execution then near-perfect performance can be expected from the solar PV plant.
