Identifying Issues on Installed Photovoltaic Systems. By Fred Brooks.
Evolution of PV System Maintenance
• With all things there is an evolutionary processIn 2009 I started operating the first company in Hawaii solely dedicated to Photovoltaic System maintenance. After a few years I knew there was more to the inspections than meets the eye, and that is when I first became a certified thermographer. That was in 2012. This was the natural next evolutionary step
General Conditions for an Inspection
- The Photovoltaic system needs to be up and operating
- We need a basic understanding of the PV system. Is it a central inverter, micro inverter or an optimizer system?
- We want to ideally have clear skies
- We are looking to have an irradiance greater than 500 w/m2
- You can see anomalies at any level but 500 w/m2 and greater is where you can really see the anomalies pop
- The main concept is to realize you are looking for anomalies on the system in relationship to the rest of the system, as the equipment should have a uniform heat signature in relationship to each other.
