easy-pv initiative egnss high accuracy system improving
TRANSCRIPT
EASY-PV InitiativeEGNSS high Accuracy SYstem improving
PhotoVoltaic plants maintenance
4 - 5 October Prague
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Reference Scenario
From “Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics 2016-2020”, http://www.solarpowereurope.org/
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The needAs photovoltaic plants are aging, it is not uncommon that their whole productivity lowers
due to inefficiency caused by unknown defective modules on the plant.
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Example of anomalies
Mechanical anomalies
Displacement and detachment: environmental conditions (strong wind) or unproper installation
Functioning anomalies Hot spots: cell defect or cell cracks
(maintenance, transport, assembly)
Glass breaks : big hail, heavy snow, stones shot, maintenance accident
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State of the art• These anomalies, if many in a plant, can produce a significant power reduction and
this is the reason why a high level maintenance activity is mandatory in large plants in order to keep-up a good profitability
• PV plants monitoring is presently done:
partially by remote control (by checking various production data and technical parameters like power, currents, voltage, productions. Static M&C systems are not able to identify and characterize the contingent anomalies)
partially by means of site surveysthe plant verification is mainly done by visual and IR inspections. Normally the operator inspects the plant by walking on the terrain through the rows (in the ground plants) or carefully moving on roofs, normally holding the thermal camera in one hand and keeping “one eye” on the display and the other on the walking direction
Above operations are time demanding and expensive because not fully automated so that a huge activity of post processing is needed to finalise the analysis
Handheld cameraoperative cost
[€/MWp]
Drone basedoperative cost
[€/MWp]
EASY PV operative cost
[€/MWp]
PV plants on the ground 750 500 300
PV plants on the roof 1200 500 300
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Improving by EASY PV EASY PV consortium is proposing an innovative maintenance concept expected to reduce
the operative costs and improve the efficiency in PV plant inspections.
Advantages connected with the use of a RPAS based system are the following:
Time and cost reduction (handmade IR inspections are time consuming)
Result reliability (after hours of IR inspections attention goes down)
No walk on PV modules (walking on PV modules makes damages!)
No risk for operators
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EASY PV goal
Providing a solution by integrating GNSS accurate and precise point positioning and other state of the art technologies.
Low power and cost-effective solution.
Design of ground control station for command and control of RPAS.
Design of communication infrastructure between RPAS and control station.
Post processing of thermal images collected by RAPS.
Semi/fully autonomous monitoring and alert system.
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EASY PV solutionGALILEO available
Satellites
GPS/ GLONASS Satellites
Final Users (Owners/ Maintainers)
RGS
RPAS
Service Center
EASY PVProducts
Photovoltaic Plant
M&C
Affiliation Network(Pilots/ Maintainers)
Pilots Community
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EASY PV model
Plant Maintaner Plant owner
EASY PV Front office Service
EASY PV Back Office
RPAS
Pilots PilotsThermographic
OperatorExpert
OperatorRPAS
Payload
100 cm
16
0 c
m
P1 P2 P3
P4 P5 P6
100 cm
16
0 c
m
P1 P2 P3
P4 P5 P6
C5C5'
C5''
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The need for high accuracy positioning Goal: To identify the affected panel
(e.g. P5) to be contingently replaced
when an anomaly causes thermal
modifications on a cell (e.g. centred on
C5)
Every positioning evaluation of C5’
inscribed within the violet circle is
uniquely associated to the true C5
center cell, thereby to the panel P5
Required Accuracy
• can be evaluated considering the
exploitation of computer vision
algorithm which acts as map
matching for automotive
navigation applications
• is half the value of the shorter
panel side: order of 50 cm.
C1 C2
P1 P2
C4
P4 P5
C5''
C5C5'
C1 C2
P1 P2
C4
P4 P5
C5C5'
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EasyPV RPAS Operations are conducted in the airspace Civil Aviation Regulations fully apply
Main principles of Aviation Law are well defined, but specific rules on RPAS are under development (or already in place!) by:
o ICAO
o EASA (currently for RPAS with MTOM>150 kg, mandate extension in process)
o National Aviation Authorities
At the moment the technical (industrial) standards for civil drones have to be defined. Standardization bodies are working to the subject:
o EUROCAE
o RTCA
EasyPV has a in place a continuous assessment process for these aspects
Regulation and standards
Project Schedule
Start: Febraury 2016End: January 2018Duration: 24 months
... Now we are in the consolidation phase of CDR Planned on 8 November
Funding Scouting
- Self financing
- Other call
Product Industrialization
Sales Network Implementation
Road Map
