4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [1]

pvSpot - PV Simulation Tool for Operational PV Projects

Tomas Cebecauer, Marcel Suri, Artur Skoczek

GeoModel Solar, Slovakia

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [2]

1. Solar and meteo database

2. Interactive services

• Solar prospection

• PV prefeasibility and planning

• PV performance monitoring

3. Computer-to-computer services

• Web services and regular data supply

• Solar and PV forecasting

http://solargis.info

SolarGIS platform

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [3]

SolarGIS database PV system configuration

PV simulator

Simulated GTI and PV production Measured PV production

PV system evaluation

pvSpot concept

User

inputs

Outp

uts

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [4]

pvSpot concept

PV_output = f(PV config., irradiance, temperature, auxilliary data)

- simulated PV production using satellite-based data

- site specific data everywhere

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [5]

Irradiance

- satellite-based model (SolarGIS)

- motion vectors (test phase, SolarGIS)

- NWP: IFS (ECMWF), GFS (NOAA) postprocess

Meteorological data

- CFSR, CFSv2 and GFSprod (NOAA)

Auxilliary data

- altitude (SRTM), terrain slope, horizons

SolarGIS database

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [6]

GOES West GOES East PRIME IODC

135°W 75°W 0° 57.5°E

Present

↑

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

Pacific

145°E

GO

ES

9 *

GM

S 5

*M

TS

AT

1-2

HIMAWARI8

GO

ES

10,

11,

15

GO

ES

8,

12,

13,

14

MS

G 1

-3M

FG

4-7

MF

G 5

, 7

SolarGIS database – temporal coverage

■ Daily data update – pvSpot priority regions

GHI

±3.9%

• Historical data • Global coverage

• Spatial resolution approx. 3 km (250 m enhanc.)

• Frequency of measurements 15 and 30 minutes

• Spatial and temporal consistency

• Low uncertainty

• Recent data • Continuous daily/monthly update

• Priority regions (extendable)

• Forecasts

• Update 2 (4) times a day

• Global coverage

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [7]

Historical data

• Long-term average PV production (c-Si, optimum angle)

• Reference for PV system performance assessment

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [8]

Solar radiation (In-plane GTI)

Meteo parameters (TEMP, WS,...)

PV system (modules, mounting,

invertors, cabling, row spacing …)

PV simulation

PV production

Environment: Technology:

Env. losses (shading, snow, dirt,...)

GTI vs PV

PV simulation principles

• sub-hourly time series data (15 minutes)

• flexible (one day up to multi-year)

• aggregation to daily, monthly, yearly

• outputs GTI, PVOUT, losses,…

• calculated uncertainty

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [9]

Simulations:

tilted model (Perez inclined diffuse irradiance)

terrain shading (SRTM3 mission, Ruiz-Arias)

angular reflection (Martín Riuz angular losses)

electric performance of PV modules (variant of Sandia Array Performance model or, 1-diode PV array module based on PVPMC implementation)

Self-shading or inter-row shading (shading fraction based on simplified raytracing)

inverter conversion losses (efficiency curve or euro efficiency provided by the inverter manufacturer, or Sandia Performance Model for Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Inverters)

Estimates:

pollution and snow (estimates based on the local climate knowledge)

mismatch, cables, interconnections (estimates in the case of lack of cabling details, otherwise calculation of cables Ohmic losses)

transformer (estimates only based on manufacturers specification)

Production data:

technical availability of PV Power Plant (loses due to downtime and maintenance)

PV simulation

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [10]

Simulated PV production uncertainty

• Dynamically calculated

• seasonal effects

• satellite mission specific features

• sat. geometry, solar geometry , short- term variability …

• system components

hourly

daily monthly

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [11]

SolarGIS data

Historical Recent Forecasts

Yield assessment ×

Performance assessment × ×

Monitoring × ×

Power plant operation × ×

Grid management ×

pvSpot application areas

pvSpot PV simulations

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [12]

Modes of operation

Interactive

- web-based online application http://solargis.info/pvspot

- easy-to-use user interface

- real production data input

Non-interactive

- computer-to-computer data exchange

- web-services, FTP access

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [13]

pvSpot interactive - workflow

1. Site selection

2. PV system definition

3. PV simulation

- long-term averages

- recent data (system startup – yesterday, daily updated)

4. Real production input

5. Data analysis, reporting,…

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [14]

pvSpot interactive – long term vs. specific year production

Cologne, Germany 5.0 kWp, crystalline silicon (c-Si), fixed mounting - one angle, tilt: 30°azimuth: 180°

2014 2015 production long-term

production in 2015

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [15]

pvSpot interactive – real vs. simulated production

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [16]

• mass processing (1 - 1000+ systems)

• forecasts

• regular delivery (FTP)

• 2 times a day forecasts

• Operational daily (monitoring)

• Monthly (re-analysis, performance analysis)

• more detailed data request parametrization

• flexible data aggregation (15-min up to monthly summaries)

pvSpot web-service and FTP access

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [17]

pvSpot – examples of PV production analysis

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [18]

Example of good match between measured and modelled data

Example of utility scale PV plant simulation using high frequency 15 minute satellite data in Central Europe

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [19]

Instant detection of major performance issues PV inverter output power limitation

Example of utility scale PV plant simulation using high frequency 15 minute satellite data in Central Europe

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [20]

Wrong description of power plant design parameters too small row spacing resulting in increased shading losses in winter-time

Example of utility scale PV plant simulation using high frequency 15 minute satellite data in Central Europe

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [21]

Partial failure – strings failure

Example of utility scale PV plant simulation using high frequency 15 minute satellite data in Central Europe

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [22]

Example of utility scale PV plant simulation using high frequency 15 minute satellite data in Central Europe

Power production loss due to snow event in winter-time

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [23]

Conclusions

SolarGIS pvSpot

• integrated SolarGIS database with simulation tools

• continuously updated (recent and forecasts)

Harmonized and consistent data for

• monitoring

• performance assessment

• PV portfolio evaluation

4th PV Performance Modelling and Monitoring Workshop, Cologne, Germany, 22-23 October 2015 [24]

Thank you!

GeoModel Solar, Slovakia

contact@geomodel.eu

http://solargis.info

http://gemodelsolar.eu