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
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145°E
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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
http://solargis.info
http://gemodelsolar.eu