new opportunities in commercial pv system design and development with module-level data

8/6/2019 New Opportunities in Commercial PV System Design and Development with Module-level Data

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COPYRIGHT 2011 GTM RESEARCH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

May 12, 2011

Paul Grana, Director of Marketing, Tigo EnergyMJ Shiao, Solar Analyst, GTM Research

New Opportunities in Commercial PV System Design

and Development with Module-level Data

Sponsored by:




GTM Research: Overview

2

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provides economic and strategic analysis for the

global renewable energy and electricity industries

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Source: GTM Research




Distributed Optimization• “Distributed Optimization” includes

– Distributed MPPT

• String-level optimization (very low power inverters, string combiners with

optimization)

– Standalone Micro-inverters

• DC-to-AC inversion at the module or dual module level

– Standalone DC Optimizers

• DC-to-DC optimization at the module level

– OEM Module-Level Optimizers

• Sell directly to module manufacturers or other distributed optimizers

– Cell-level optimization

• Typically manufactures proprietary module

– Smart-Grid/Value-Add Optimization

• Provides grid support or backup power in addition to optimization




The Opportunity





The Enablers

Performance

• Efficiencies

• micro-inverter or combined optimizer/inverter efficiencies < 96%

• Limited field comparison data

Reliability

• Limited field experience

• Shift from single product reliability to “fleet reliability”

Bankability

• Attracting bankable parents and partners

• Get acquired (SMA/OKE) or find a bankable module, inverter or distribution partner (SolarEdge/Solon,Tigo/KACO, Enphase/Siemens)

Cost

• Moore’s Law? (probably not)

• Scale is driving cost down, but what are limits? Is contract manufacturing sustainable for cost roadmaps?

Key drivers to enable distributed optimization to rise out of a niche market




The Players




Using Module-Level Data To

Get The Most Out Of

Commercial Solar Plants

May, 2011

Watts Up?



Overview

• Module-level visibility is changing the way installers andsystem owners manage solar arrays, from design throughoperations:

– More sophisticated

understanding of modulemismatch

– Better understanding offailure types and magnitudes

– Improved long-termsystem uptime

– Faster, smarter truck rolls

5/12/2011 8Tigo Energy, Inc. | 420 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, California USA 95032 | P: +1.408.402.0802 | F: +1.408.358.6279 | www.tigoenergy.com


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The Tigo Energy® Maximizer System

Tigo Energy, Inc. | 420 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, California USA 95032 | P: +1.408.402.0802 | F: +1.408.358.6279 | www.tigoenergy.com



Data Has Been Core To Tigo Energy’s

Development Since The Beginning

5/12/2011 10

Unshaded, roof-mount system, Berkeley, CA (June 14, 2008)




Notes On The Data

• Source: gathered from our deployed fleet of over 150,000Maximizers

– Over 2/3 on commercial rooftops

– Both US and International solar plants

•

Quality: accuracy of +/- 1%, frequency of every 2 seconds• Privacy policy: data only shared in aggregate/sterilized form,

or with consent of system owner

• Caveat: sometimes a little data can be more dangerous thannone at all




1

2

LESSONS FOR SYSTEM

DESIGN


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/new-opportunities-in-commercial-pv-system-design-and-development-with-module-level 13/305/12/2011 Tigo Energy Confidential – Not for Redistribution 13

Understanding Mismatch is Critical for

Good System Design



All Systems Have Mismatch

There are four primarysources of mismatch forwell-designed, unshaded,large-scale systems:

• Module binning mismatch

• Thermal mismatch

• Variable soiling

• Cloud effects



http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/new-opportunities-in-commercial-pv-system-design-and-development-with-module-level 15/30Tigo Energy, Inc. | 420 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, California USA 95032 | P: +1.408.402.0802 | F: +1.408.358.6279 | www.tigoenergy.com

PHOTON lab test conditions:

• Direct irradiance from lamps

• No thermal mismatch

• Cleaned front glass

• No hard shade

Source: PHOTON Magazine, November 2010. Test system is 2.5kW array using 180W modules from Tier-I manufacturer

Incremental Energy Harvest in Unshaded Test

Module Binning Mismatch Alone Creates

The Opportunity For Energy Harvest

0.3%

0.0%

0.9%

3.2%

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

3.5%

System A System B System C Tigo Energy



Ambient Mismatch Is Most Prevalent In

The Mornings And Evenings

5/12/2011 17

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M o d u l e V o l t a

g e



Design Can Also Lead To Mismatch

18Tigo Energy, Inc. | 420 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, California USA 95032 | P: +1.408.402.0802 | F: +1.408.358.6279 | www.tigoenergy.com

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Can you guess what caused

this voltage pattern?


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5/12/2011 20

LESSONS FOR

COMMISSIONING

d l l l d



Module-level Data Can Find String

Wiring Problems Immediately

5/12/2011

•

System was designed with strings of eleven modules each• Two strings exhibited unexpected panel power characteristics

• Correction made during commissioning, saving power and O&Mcosts

• Commercial system, California• January 26, 2011, 2:33 pm


G di l d



Improper Grounding Can Be Flagged

Right Away

5/12/2011 22

• Maximizer system flagged sub-optimal powerproduction due to charge buildup (indicatingimproper grounding)

• Correction made during commissioning, savingpower and O&M costs


A F il d Di d H A V U i



A Failed Diode Has A Very Unique

Signature


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We Find Failed Diodes Nearly Every Day

5/12/2011 24

In general, 0.5% ofmodules installed havea failed diode

When this happens,system owners ofteninitiate their first-everRMA process formodules




5/12/2011 25

LESSONS FOR

MAINTENANCE

V i bl D d ti B



Variable Degradation Becomes a

Significant Factor over Time

Modules degrade at0.7% per year –

however, system-level degradationwill be significantly

higher due to theincreasing variabilitybetween modules


Note: Data from 784 modules, each with a history of at least two years (longest measured time frame is 16 years).

Source: “Outdoor PV Degradation Comparison”. D.C. Jordan, R.M. Smith, C.R. Osterwald, E. Gelak, and S.R. Kurtz. NREL Conference Paper CP-5200-47704

With t M d l l l D t L S l



5/12/2011 27

Without Module-level Data, Large-Scale

O&M is a Guessing Game


Fi i l B fit F M d l l l



Financial Benefits From Module-level

Data

•

Maintenance costs reduced by 25-50% – Eliminate blanket maintenance trips

– Truck rolls are faster because problems are already pinpointed

– Optimize frequency of cleaning trips

•

Commissioning process streamlined – Reduced de-bug time

– Remote monitoring

• System uptime improved

–Reduce impact of variable degradation

– Component failures (e.g. diodes) are flagged immediately




Thank you!

Paul Grana

[email protected]

1 (888) 609 - TIGO (8446)

[email protected]

It’s what

everybody

is squawkingabout!

mailto:[email protected]




Thank You!

Paul Grana, Director of Marketing

Tigo [email protected]

1 (888) 609 - TIGO (8446)[email protected]

MJ Shiao, Solar AnalystGTM [email protected]

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new opportunities in commercial pv system design and development with module-level data

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