BEST PARCTICES IN SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS

Dr. O.S. SASTRY

DIRECTOR PV TESTING, SOLAR ENERGY CENTRE,
MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY,
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
PH. 0124-2579213; Fax: 0124-2579207e.mail:
sastry284@yahoo.in
REQUIREMENTS OF BEST QUALITY PV SYSTEMS

• HIGH PERFORMANCE

• SAFETY

• LONG TERM RELIABILITY

• LIFE CYCLE COST (Rs./ kWh) ( GRID PARITY ?)

 Best practices solar energy include ….
• Programme Planning
• Setting Targets (physical, performance and cost
reductions)
• Site specific and Need based PV Systems
• Use of Standards with Indicators
• Growth of Industry: through put & reliability
• Creation of high quality testing laboratories
• Adoption of latest developments in technology
 JAWAHARLAL NEHRU NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION (JNNSM)
(TARGETS)

PHYSICAL:
20,000 MW Utility Grid
2000 MW Off- Grid.
100MW Roof –Top Installations
Lighting Systems for 20Million Houses

RELIABILITY & LIFE :

• 35 years for PV modules?
COST:
• Grid Parity by 2020
 JAWAHARLAL NEHRU NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION (JNNSM)
(ACHIEVEMENTS)
PHYSICAL:
 1050 MW Utility Grid
 155 MW Off- Grid
(Including Roof-top, Lighting, pumps all Off-Grid Systems)

RELIABILITY & LIFE :

• 10% in 10 years and 15% in 20 years for PV modules

COST:
• Rs. 7- 9/ Wp
 MAIN PV SYSTEMS / APPLICATIONS
• LIGHTING SYSTEMS
- PROTABLE, FIXED HOME LIGHT AND STREET LIGHTING
• PV POWER PACKS
- < 1kWp POWER PLANTS
• STAND ALONE POWER PLANTS
- 1kWp TO 25kWp POWER PLANTS, TELECOMM
• UTILITY SCALE (MW CAPACITY) GI POWER PLANTS
- 1MW TO 50MW GI POWER PLANTS
• PV WATER PUMPS
- ½ HP TO 5HP AC/DC SURFACE OR SUBMERSIBLE
• OTHER APPLICATIONS
- WATER PURIFIERS, GLOW SIGN DISPLAY,
 PV STANDARDS ADOPTED FOR PV COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS

PV Modules :
 STC PERFORMANCE
- IEC 60904-2 (I-V )
- IEC 60891 ( TEMP & INTENSITY CORRECTIONS)
 DESIGN QUALIFICATION
- IEC 61215 (MON & MULTI CRYSTALLINE SILICON)
- IEC61646( THIN FILM)
- IEC 62108( CONCENTRATOR)
 SAFETY
- IEC 61730 (ALL MODULES)

 SALT, MIST AND CORROSIVE

- IEC 61701
 PV STANDARDS ADOPTED FOR PV COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS

PV BoS SYSTEMS:
 EFFICIENCY / PERFORMANCE
- IEC 61683 (PCU)
- IEC 62093( CHARGE CONTROLLERS & MPPT
 ENVIRONMENTAL
- IEC 60068 2 (1,2,14, 30)
 STORAGE BATTERIES
- IEC 61427 (ALL TYPE BATTERIES)
- IS 1651
- IS 13369
 CABLES, SWITCH/ CIRCUIT BREAKERS/ CONNECTORS
- IEC 60947 PART I,II & III
- EN 50521
- IEC 60189, IS 694, IS1554, IS/ IEC 69947
 PV STANDARDS ADOPTED FOR PV COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS

PV SYSTEMS :
 Jn. BOXES/ ENCLOSURES
- IEC 2208
- IP 65 / IP 21
 SPV SYSTEM DESIGN
- IEC 62124
 INSTALLATION PRACTICES
- IEC 60364
- IEC 61727
 NATIONAL ELECTRIC CODES (NEC)
 INDICATORS MATTERS..
• PV MODULE STC EFFICIENCY
• PV ARRAY AND SYSTEM EFFICIENCY
• LIFE TIME ENERGY YIELDS (YL)
• PERFORMANCE RATIO (PR)
• CAPACITY UTILIZATION FACTOR (CUF)
• LOSS OF LOAD PROBABILITY (LOLP)
• LIFE CYCLE COST (Rs./ kWh) ( GRID PARITY ?)

JNNSM TARGET FOR DEGRADATION:

• <10% IN 10 YEARS and <15% IN 25 YEARS
 PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OF PV ARRAYS

• YIELD FACTOR = Yf = (kWh/kWp) or (Hours)

Yf = E ( ENERGY OUTPUT)/ Po ( STC DC POWER)

• REFERENCE YIELD Units (Yr) in Hours or kWh/kW

Yr = H ( IN PLANE IRRADIANCE )/ G( 1000W/SQ .M)

• PERFORMANCE RATIO (PR) = Yf / Yr

PR is dimension less, Quantifies Effect of Losses

PR depends on site Temperature, Spectrum &
Technology
WHAT ARE OFF-GRID
PV SYSTEMS?
LIGHTING SYSTEMS
 Components of lighting System
• PV MODULE 3Wp to 74Wp
• Storage Battery 12V, 4AH to 100AH
(Flood Lead Acid Tubular or VRLA)
• Loads: 5 to 13W CFLs OR 2W to 9 W LED
• Electronics:
- High Frequency Electronics ballast(87%)/ DC-DC converters (95%)
- Charge Controller
- Protections
- Indicators
• Structures
PV Lighting System Quality Performance (MNRE Specs)

• Conditioning of the System

• On-Off Cycles (Endurance Test)
• Electronic Efficiency Measurement
• Charge Efficiency Measurement
• Lumen and LUX Measurement
• Uniformity of Light
• Quality of Light out put (UV content, Speckle)
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS

• Conditioning test
• Electronic efficiency test
• Charge discharge efficiency
measurement
• Protections test
• Lumen measurement
• LUX measurement
• Spectral distribution
measurement of LED
• Measurement of view angle
LED AND CFL PERFORMANCE
COMPARISON AND SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
 Color recognition
SOX lamp

Green-Red LEDs
19
 Residential street

Before 36W TL Now 20W LED

16 lux (meter under the lamp at 8 lux under lamp

street level)
 The Physiology

Scotopic Mesopic Photopic

<0,01 cd/m² |0,001 cd/m² 3 cd/m² | > 3cd/m²
21
SPV WATER PUMPING SYSTEMS
Quality Testing of PV Water Pumping System
TYPE OF PUMPS
 DC Surface (Centrifugal) Pumps
 DC/AC Submersible Pumps
 Float Pumps ?
SPECIFICATIONS
 IEC 62253 & 61702 AND MNES Performance Guidelines 2006-07
INSTRUMENTATION
 Deep Sump Well
 PV Array
 PV Array Testers
 Data Loggers with sensors
 Flow & Pressure Gauges/Meters
Main Quality Indicators
 Throughput - Liters/watt/day
 Average Wire to Water efficiency
 Peak Efficiency
 WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CONCERNS ?

• MAIN PROBLEMS ARE :

- MATCHING OF PUMP AND PV ARRAY

- EFFICIENCY OF MOTOR AND PUMP

- PV ARRAY STRUCTURES

- PROTECTIONS ( DRY RUNNING, GROUNDING, DC SHOCK etc.)

BATTERY TESTING
 Quality Assessment of Batteries
• IEC 61427
• IS 1651, IS 13369,
• JIS 8709
• PERFORMANCE TESTS
- Capacity Test at C/10 or C/20 rate
- Shelf Life
- Cycle Life vs. DoD
- Charge Efficiency
- Temp. Coefficients fully computer
- Spill Proof Features
 WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PROBLEMS ?

• MAIN PROBLEMS ARE :

- WRONG INSTALLATIONS (MODULE, STRUCTURE & CABLES)
- POOR COMPONENTS
 LOW WATTAGE MODULE AND BATTERY
 POOR DESIGNS,
 POOR ELECTRONICS

- SYSTEM SIZING PROBLEMS ? (CONNECTION OF ADDITIONAL LOADS)

 TO ENSURE THE QUALITY OF SUPPLIED SYSTEMS:

• A THREE STEP APPROCH FOLLOWED BY IEC TO ENSURE QUALITY

- TESTING OF PROTO-TYPE

- QUALITY TEST DURING MANUFACTURING

- QUALITY TEST OF PRODUCT FROM THE MARKET

SPV POWER PLANTS
 OFF-GRID PV POWER PLANTS

• Stand Alone
• Hybrid
 COMPONENTS SPV POWER PLANTS
1. SPV Modules
2. Batteries
3. Inverters
4. Charge Controllers
5. Loads CFLs, Pumps, Motors, Refrigerators etc.
6. Structures
 STANDARDS FOR STAND ALONE POWER PLANTS

• Standards for POWER PLANT Components ( PERFORMANCE, DESIGN QUALIFICATION AND

ENVIRONMENT)
- PV MODULE –IEC 61215, 61646, 62108
- BATTERY – BIS , IEC (NO QUALIFIED SUPPLIER?)
- INVERTER IEC-61683 ( VERY FEW INDIAN SUPPLIERS!!) ,
- CHARGE CONTROLLER& MPPT –IEC 62093
• Design Verification
IEC - 62124
• INSTALLATION AND SAFETY
IEC- 62548
IEC – 61173 (OVER VOLTAGE PROTECTION)
NATIONAL ELECTRIC CODE FOR SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT GROUNDING
• Performance Monitoring, DATA exchange
IEC – 61724
• I-V CHARACTERISTICS OF PV ARRAY ON SITE MEASUREMENT
IEC- 61829
 ENVIRONMENTAL TESTS STANDARDS FOR ELECTRONICS

• OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS DIVIDED IN TO FOUR GROUPS

- INDOOR CONDITIONED
- INDOOR UN-CONDITIONED
- OUTDOOR CONDITIONED
- OUT DOOR UN-CONDITIONED
• IEC STANDARDS
- 60068-2-1 (COLD TEST -10°C ±3°C FOR 2 HOURS)
- 60068-2-2 (DRY HEAT TEST 55°C ±2°C FOR 16 HOURS)
- 60068-2-14 ( TEMPERSTURE CYCLING -5°C TO 55°C ±3°C FOR 5 CYCLES)
- 60068-2-30 (DAMP HEAT STUDY STATE 25°C TO 40°C ±3°C AND 93% RH 12+12 Hrs,
2Cycles)

• IEC STANDARD FOR INGRESS PROTECTION (IP)

- IP 21 FOR HOME LIGHTS/ LANTERNS
- IP 54/ IP64 FOR STREET LIGHTS
 PERFORMANCE TEST STANDARDS FOR INVERTERS
• IEC STANDARDS
- 61683
• EFFICIENCY OF PERFORMANCE of STAND ALONE INVERTERS (at unity and .25PF)
- 10% LOAD
- 25% LOAD
- 50% Load
- 75% Load
- 90-100% Load

• - EFFICIENCY OF PERFORMANCE OF CHARGE CONTROLLER AND MPPT (

- IEC 62093 ( PERFORMANCE TEST, PROTECTIONS, etc.)

• INSTALLATION AND SAFETY FOR OFF-GRID SYSTEMS

- IEC 62548 ( SYSTEM VOLTAGE, GROUNDING, RATING OF CONTROL DEVICES, etc.)
 ENVIRONMENTAL TEST STANDARDS INVERTERS,
CHARGE CONTROLLERS AND MPPTs
• OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS DIVIDED IN TO FOUR GROUPS
- INDOOR CONDITIONED
- INDOOR UN-CONDITIONED
- OUTDOOR CONDITIONED
- OUT DOOR UN-CONDITIONED
• IEC STANDARDS
- 60068-2-1 (COLD TEST -10°C ±3°C FOR 2 HOURS)
- 60068-2-2 (DRY HEAT TEST 55°C ±2°C FOR 16 HOURS)
- 60068-2-14 ( TEMPERSTURE CYCLING -5°C TO 55°C ±3°C FOR 5 CYCLES)
- 60068-2-30 (DAMP HEAT STUDY STATE 25°C TO 40°C ±3°C AND 93% RH 12+12 Hrs, 2Cyc)

• IEC STANDARD FOR INGRESS PROTECTION (IP)

- IP 21 FOR INDOOR INVERTERS ( IN -DOOR CONDITIONED)
 Quality Checks Of PV Power Plants
• Standards/Specifications
IEC, & IEEE Standards
Inspection Criteria
• Performance Indicators
Energy Yields ( Yi = kWh/kWp )
Performance Ratio (PR= Yi/ Rf)
LOLP
Plant capacity factor/ Plant Utility Factor
• Instrumentations
Array Testers
Data Acquisition Systems (DAS)
Current Voltage Power Transducers
Battery SOC Testers
Loads
Data Contents of SPV Power
Plant
 WHAT ARE THE MAJOR QUALITY CONCERNS?

• MAIN PROBLEMS ARE :

- WRONG DESIGNS ( SELECTION OF PV ARRAY, BATTERY BANK, INVERTER & LOAD)

- BATTERY RELATED PROBLES ( REDUCED LIFE SPAN)

- POOR INSTALLATIONS

- GROUNDING ( SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT AND LIGHTNING ARRESTERS)

- SHADOWING

- CERTIFICATION OF COMPONENTS

- MATCHING OF PV ARRAYS, MPPT RANGE, BATTERY BANK & INVERTER

WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO CERTIFY?
 WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FROM THE LABS?

• REQUIREMENTS ARE :

- NABL or EQUIVALENT ACCREDITATION

- PART OF THE REQUIRED TEST EQUIPMENT

- MANPOWER

- INDEPENDENT TEST LABORATORY PREFERRD

 AUTHORISED TEST CENTRES IN INDIA
•SEC PV MODULES, BATTERY , LIGHTING SYSTEMS (PERFORMANCE ONLY), WATER PUMPS & INVERTERS
•OATCs
ERTL (KOLKATA) – BATTERIES, LIGHTING SYSTEMS & INVERTERS
ETDC ( BANGALORE) – PV MODULES, BATTERIES AND INVERTERS
CPRI ( BANGALORE) - BATTERIES, LIGHTING SYSTEMS (CFL), INVERTERS
•ADDITIONAL CENTERS FOR PV MODULES
TUV AND UL BANGALORE

•ADDITIONAL CENTERS FOR BATTERIES

CECRI OR ANY OF THE NABL CERTIFIED

• NABL ACCREDITED ADDITIONAL CENTERS FOR IELECTRONICS , LIGHTING SYSTEMS , NVERTERS & MPPTS
ETDC (Bangalore), UL, TUV, INTER TEK (Noida), ERTL (kolkata), ETDC Pune, ETDC Maholi and ETDC
(G)

• ALL TESTING LABS WITH NABL ACCREDITATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL , MECHANICAL & IP TESTS ARE
APPROVED
QUESTIONS ??
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!!