Defying the Waves of Degradation

As the solar industry continues to expand, Photovoltaic (PV) portfolio managers are faced with a set of complex issues that are unique in the power generation space. PV systems consist of a massive number of individual generators spread over a geographically large area. While the management of inverters, substations, and other “AC side” components can borrow best practices from similar industries, the management of DC side health - everything between the solar panels and the inverters - presents a unique problem set for PV operators. The goal of this whitepaper is to give an overview of techniques and best practices for the optimization of a DC portfolio. 

What’s included?

• What are the goals of DC Optimization: How to define success for a DC optimization campaign.
• How much do we care about DC health: Methods for quantifying the impacts of DC issues on yearly revenues.
• The time value of energy: How to evaluate the long-term impact of DC issues.
• Defining Actionability : How to define which issues to address and which to ignore?
• Data Enabled Maintenance: Using Condition-based and predictive models for DC  optimization.