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„Big data meets big brother“

Or in a different sentence:

„Expectations from modern solar monitoring

systems

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A few words about

Solar-LogTM

Solare Datensysteme GmbH – The company behind

the brand Solar-LogTM

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Installed in >130countries worldwide

>300,000plants worldwide

>14 GWp

installed power

Our experience in PV monitoringGlobal orientation – High scalability – Strong portfolio

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Motivation

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Motivation – Why PV Monitoring?and why make monitoring solutions more intelligent?

Focus on areas with a high financial impact

Source: Report: Technical Risks in PV Projects; EURAC TUV-RH

from www.solarbankability.eu

Source: Report: PV Investment Technical Risk Management 20/02/2017

from www.solarbankability.eu

CPN = Cost priority number → Economic impact on assets of technical risks during O&M period

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Our Company evolutionWhere we came from………………………………………..Where we are going

3rd partydevices

Localmonitoringservices

Data push services

Monitoring

Plattform

GetD

ata

Push D

ata

Push

Ala

rms

Basic

contr

ol

Basic

data

+ App

Modular and robust

Hardware controller

with interfaces

3rd party device data

local status and point of

failure support

Advanced grid control

Advanced smart Energy

Control

Security

3rd party platforms

3rd party devices

3rd party eco systems

Max. Data depth

Various Data

rates

Remote

Configuration

…….

Seamless user

experience

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Solar-Log™ – Powerful hardware meets flexible softwareToday’s stage

• Reserve capacities for

future applications

• Modular design

• Extensive interfaces

• Extendibility

• Functions across systems

• Works with other

technologies in the future?

• Adapts to user needs

• Adapts to technological

developments

• Protects user data

• Offers optimisation

possibilities

• Secures against financial

losses

• Help you concentrate on the

core business

• Save time and nerves

• Lead to a targeted

solution

• Enable additional services

to be established with the

customer

• You can concentrate on

your core business /

expertise

• You can sell more services

to customers

• You’re not tied to a provider

Powerful hardware

Flexiblesoftware

Support

services

Focus

on your

success!

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The Key question: “How can we help our

customer groups grow their business?”

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First we must understand how our customers make their business

Customer Group

Main challengesand pains

Main value stream in their business

Is the customer already using our product?

How close can we meet the expectations?

Close and constant customer

discussions

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Approx. 1min, 10sec to detect the issue → Many steps needed Approx. 20sec → Saving: 50sec per issue → Less steps

Sample - Result Output from this close work – faster error detection

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Sample - Result Output from this close work – fast access to remote configuration

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Looking forward

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Development of the monitoring systemsLevel of complexity

Core value for the User / Monitoring version

New producedchallenges and issues

Solution approach

Version A:Identify transparency and

deviations

Internal protocol and communication errors

Communication errors with the devices in the field

Transmission errors

Server problems (workload)

Logic errors in the evaluation

Improve product quality / stronger internal protocols

Improve the protocols / more resources for protocol maintenance

Observe and implement a new issue class for information

Spend more money into infrastructure

Improve the algorithm and check with field-experts

Evaluation from Version Xto

Version X1…..n

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Development of monitoring systemsLevel of complexity

Core value for the User / Monitoring version

New producedchallenges and issues

Version X1…..n :Early detection of system

failures and deviations

Manual initial system setup

Manual work steps in the daily doing

Error interpretation is up to the operator and his level of experience

Resource conflicts

No seamless data transfer from planning to operation

Operator built his own AI according his experience and work with the system

Systems are not able to match and interact with different data sources

Operator vs. amount of system errors

Understand theData / graphs

Influence of the weather

Manually set influence

Communication situationWith the devices in the field

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Development of the monitoring systemsLevel of complexity

Core value for the User / Monitoring version

New producedchallenges and issues

Version X1…..n :Early detection of system

failures and deviations

Manual initial system setup

Manual work steps in the daily doing

Error interpretation is up to the operator and his level of experience

Resource conflicts

No seamless data transfer from planning to operation

Operator built his own AI according his experience and work with the system

Systems are not able to match and interact with different data sources

Operator vs. amount of system errors

Understand theData / graphs

Influence of the weather

Manually set influence

Communication situationWith the devices in the field

Each of these data sources will have their own „noise“This will lead to the need of a trained/experienced operator

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How can we make PV O&M easier?Seamless data stream

With a seamless data stream from planning to operating we can provide the following advantages for the user/operator:

- Less manual steps and less transfer issues

- Combine different data sources and evaluate the „maybe issue“ in a first step

- Automated, connected process steps to speed up the process and reduce manual, individual work, allowing the operator to work

on complex, edge cases while improving his utilization

- Interaction with real-time data on the energy exchanges or the grid will make it easier in the future to prioritize and show the

financial added value

Snow

Local shadding

lightning

…

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How can we make PV O&M easier?Some lessons we learned

A few topics we learned over the time and we want to share with you:

- Focus on value for the user

Failure prediction on component level vs. automated failure analysis in the pv generator

- The creation of a uniform data model and uniform data management greatly simplifies subsequent work

- Reduce manual data entry to dramatically reduce errors and data gaps

- Focus on areas with a high financial impact

Source: Report: Technical Risks in PV Projects; EURAC TUV-RH

from www.solarbankability.eu

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Key message

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Key statement

„With structured data acquisition and analytics of these data we can reduce costs and improve the efficiency of

PV systems.“

BUT!

„If you only digitize a crappy process, you have a crappy digital process!”

Thorsten Dirks [E-Plus / Telefonica 2007 – 2017]

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Thanks for listening!