Solar energy is one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources in the world. However, to get the most out of your solar power plant, it is essential to constantly monitor its performance. Intelligent solar and weather monitoring provides highly accurate measurements, making it easy to maintain optimal performance.
Solar radiation and weather factors that most affect performance include temperature, wind and pollution, each of which can have a significant impact. Automated weather stations help manage these variables and provide useful information throughout the life cycle of any solar power plant.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems and wind turbines use weather as fuel. Understanding the quality and future reliability of this fuel is critical to determining the viability of the project.
Monitoring solar energy performance is critical to maintaining and optimizing solar assets and minimizing the levelized cost of energy. Operators can identify and resolve minor issues to avoid costly repairs and downtime while maximizing power output and improving return on investment, and investors can confidently decide whether to increase financial commitments or exit underperforming operating assets.
Real-time performance monitoring via an on-site automatic weather station ensures continuous preventative maintenance by:
PR compares actual energy output with theoretical maximum output. A low PR indicates that there is a problem that needs to be solved, while a high PR confirms that the system is working effectively.
Data collection includes global, diffuse and reflected solar radiation, as well as key weather measurements such as wind speed and direction, ambient temperature, precipitation, PV module temperature relative to atmospheric pressure and humidity.
Operators use this data to evaluate system performance and identify any problems such as module degradation, shadowing, or hardware failure. Automatic weather stations make it easy to identify weather factors that affect production and take action to ensure your plants get the most from the sun every day.
Solar irradiance is critical for performance evaluation and PR calculations, including grating-plane or global oblique irradiance, albedo, and global horizontal irradiance.
Elevated temperatures reduce efficiency, so it is vital to keep an eye on this to avoid damaging the panels as high temperatures can shorten their lifespan.
Wind can cool the panels and improve efficiency, but too much wind can create mechanical stress that can cause cracks or breakage, reducing efficiency and lifespan. High winds can damage panels and solar energy tracking systems, reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the panels and reducing energy production.
Rain can wash away debris and improve efficiency, but it can also leave spots or streaks of water on the panels, blocking sunlight.
Excessive humidity can cause solar panels to become dirty, reduce efficiency, and damage electronic components.
Dust and pollution can contaminate solar panels and reduce their efficiency. Pollution affects the quality of solar radiation and therefore energy production.
The Solar automatic weather station helps power plant operators maximize efficiency and productivity while increasing profitability and return on investment. It monitors operational performance and accurately estimates solar radiation and weather parameters to manage over- or under-production and ensure reliable, long-term system health and performance. It is also ideal for demanding solar resource assessment work at large or complex sites where production variability or uncertainty is high.
Solar Edition is easy to deploy and maintain, and scales as plant needs change for Class A pyranometers and high-end sensors.
Exceed industry standards with the information and analysis above, short-term weather forecasts, and our more years of weather and solar energy statistics to provide more detailed data for the entire lifecycle of your solar farm.
Understands the potential of renewable energy development and the associated stakes. That’s why we’ve created the most comprehensive range of weather and environmental technologies for the solar industry. You can learn more about our full range of renewable energy products on our website.
Post time: Sep-04-2024