INSTALLER I TECHNOLOGY
Stringent KPIs
The major investors in PV are placing onerous performance criteria on the company that installs and maintains the solar panel equipment. Because, if faults are not quickly identified and resolved, the expected return on investment will not be achieved. The importance of a meter reading and data collection partner for PV installers is to ensure installations operate at maximum efficiency. Using an online energy reporting system such as Stark’s SavenergyOnline, PV installers can view all the half hourly data collected and receive output efficiency guidelines based on site specific parameters. They can then monitor how their PV installation is operating against those efficiency guidelines on a daily basis.
Insolation (Incoming Solar Radiation) The amount of incoming solar radiation directly affects the power output from the PV array. But how can a PV installer tell whether a profile that’s yo-yoing up and down is due to the weather, a technical fault or some other factor? Stark collects UK-wide insolation data from weather satellite feeds. Using post code identification, we correlate the energy output of the PV array with the local weather conditions. With this information, PV installers can: better understand variations in daily PV generation output monitor PV performance quickly identify any fault or decline in performance – enabling them to fix the issue before it turns into a problem.
All PV installations will go down the smart route in the future. In fact, our contract with Norton Energy Solutions will see 3,000 smart meter installations rolled out as part of PV installations over the next 12 months. Everyone benefits from the introduction of smart meters: the investor, the PV installer, and the householder.
© 2012 Angel Business Communications. Permission required.
Photovoltaic Efficiency Report ending 260611 500 days
PV Monthly Generation Report Jun 10
Insolation colour bar Installer opinion
‘Smart meters are an essential part of our installations – they’re as important as the solar panels or inverters,’ says Sarwar Ahmed, Director of Communications at Norton Energy.
‘The solar installations we carry out across the UK are part of a portfolio owned by a single investment fund. As the installer, we have to make sure each system is not only working on day one – but continually for the next 25 years.
‘Along with the performance monitoring, the meter reading is equally important – as our contract with the investment fund includes reading the meters and submitting the readings to the energy providers.
© 2012 Angel Business Communications. Permission required.
To do this job manually would cost hundreds of pounds per installation per year. Our contract with Stark allows us to do this and more for just a fraction of that cost.’
Issue I 2012 I
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