Photovoltaic Power Plants
PV power plants convert sunlight into electrical energy. Their key components include PV cells, modules, and PV inverters, which convert the direct current (DC) from the PV modules into grid-compliant alternating current (AC). PV power plants, often referred to as solar parks or solar power systems, are a vital form of renewable energy generation.
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology offers comprehensive services and innovative solutions for the development and optimization of PV power plants. With its expertise, AIT supports companies and operators of photovoltaic systems in designing efficient and reliable installations to meet the growing demands of the renewable energy market. Quality assurance, data-driven performance analysis, and the integration of new technologies are central to achieving these goals.
AIT Services for PV Power Plants
Quality Assurance and Design of PV Systems
One of AIT's core services is the quality assurance and design of PV systems. This includes precise planning and optimization of installations with a focus on efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness. AIT provides comprehensive testing to analyze the performance and reliability of PV systems, ensuring that installations meet applicable standards and requirements as well as manufacturers' performance guarantees.
This allows operators to maximize energy yield throughout the system's lifetime. The emphasis is on compliance with national and international standards, such as ÖVE and IEC norms, which are critical for the construction and operation of PV systems.
Profitability of a PV Power Plant – DESIGN AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
The profitability of a solar power plant depends entirely on its reliability and optimal energy yield. For this reason, our services focus on the quality assurance of photovoltaic systems to meet the highest performance requirements. Investors, developers, insurers, and operators benefit from our services through secure and profitable investments based on comprehensive due diligence and technical consulting.
Our Services
- Technical Due Diligence
- Feasibility studies for photovoltaic systems
- Support in preparing tenders
- Plausibility analysis of yield forecasts
- Power plant commissioning
- Performance monitoring
- Warranty inspections
- Efficiency analysis/optimization
- Consulting for investors, developers, plant owners, insurers, and O&M providers
- Support in contract design
Your Benefits
- Secure and profitable investments based on comprehensive due diligence
- Higher returns through targeted operational and maintenance processes
- Best value for money thanks to scientific expertise in the tendering and implementation process
- International experience with multi-MW PV systems
PV Power Plant: Data-Driven Performance and Fault Diagnosis
A core aspect of AIT's work is the continuous monitoring and analysis of performance data from PV power plants. By utilizing state-of-the-art data collection technologies and algorithms, potential fault sources can be identified and addressed early. These data-driven approaches help minimize performance losses and maximize system availability. AIT develops customized diagnostic tools to support proactive maintenance and system optimization.
Digital technologies are widely used in the operation of PV power plants to enhance system performance. AIT offers intelligent software algorithms for PV plant operators, asset managers, and O&M companies that enable fully automated monitoring based on real-time detection and classification of system faults as well as quantification of performance losses. These routines allow fault diagnosis at the module, string, and inverter levels.
Our Services
- Development and integration of algorithms to detect and quantify trend-based performance losses (e.g., PID, shading, soiling, degradation)
- Routines for diagnosing faults at module, string, and inverter levels
- Application of data analysis and machine learning algorithms
- Simulation of performance models ("Digital Twins") to detect system performance deviations and classify system failures based on collected data
- Correction of sensor measurement uncertainties
- Visualization of "Big Data"
Your Benefits
- Clear insights and actionable measures for your PV power plants
- Fault detection and interpretation
- Strategies for optimizing PV plant performance
- Time and cost savings through data-driven prescriptive analyses
Integrated PV Solutions
Integrating PV systems into existing energy systems and structural infrastructure requires tailored solutions that address the specific requirements of the site and its intended use. AIT offers innovative approaches for combining photovoltaics with other technologies and systems. These integrated solutions enable flexible, efficient, and scalable utilization of solar energy, even in complex scenarios.
Legal Requirements and Standards
Operators of PV power plants must comply with numerous legal regulations and standards. This includes national regulations for feeding solar power into the grid as well as international standards for quality assurance and safety of PV systems. AIT supports companies in meeting these requirements, conducts certification processes, and ensures that systems operate according to the highest quality standards. Additionally, AIT provides assistance in adapting to evolving legal frameworks to ensure seamless project implementation.
