The importance of solar radiation measurement
Accurate solar radiation measurements for the PV energy industry and for scientific research study are major bankable assets. To know and understand the available resource helps to monitor the performance of a solar plant in every stage: from preconstruction, prospecting and bankability, to the day-to-day operation and decision making of the plant during its lifetime.
MeaTech (Measurement Technologies) Solutions LLP is focused on providing professional, friendly, and reliable service in the supply of high quality equipment, services and consultancy or advice to clients in the solar industry and beyond, including environmental data. They offer full Kipp & Zonen solutions for the measurement of solar irradiance.
Site Prospecting and Operation Monitoring
Accurate solar measurements start with initial site prospecting. This process involves using a combination of satellite and ground-based data, in order to choose the best location for a solar site. Instrument selection, along with well-planned operation and maintenance, play an important role in understanding and maximizing the output of the plant based on the availability of the resource.
A typical installation that MeaTech offers includes standard meteorological parameters such as air temperature and relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and rainfall; as well as back of module temperature. It can also include either wireless or SCADA connected communications custom-made to suit the customer needs.
When selecting a sensor suite, it is important to consider the required accuracy to achieve the objectives of the monitoring system, which may depend on size or other criteria. Most PV plants use Global Horizontal lrradiance (GHI) and/or Plane of Array (POA) lrradiance, along with other parameters, to calculate performance ratio, power loss, or to validate the historical satellite or modelled data sets.
Pyranometers have different accuracy and specification classes, as defined by International Standards (such as ISO 9060). It is important to understand the various classes and what is best suited for a site. The main objective of the user for selecting any of the ISO standard pyranometers for the solar power system is to ensure the accuracy of their data.
MeaTech Solutions, as a proud partner of Kipp & Zonen for Solar Radiation products and Campbell Scientific, Canada for data acquisition and meteorological measurements, offers turnkey monitoring solutions for any PV monitoring plant size.
Pyranometers are recommended to be calibrated every two years. After equipment installation in July 2017, MeaTech Solutions now offers calibration services for Kipp & Zonen pyranometers from its headquarters in Gurugram, India. The team has been trained and is authorized to operate the Kipp & Zonen facility to perform calibrations in India, to factory standards and minimise downtime in measurements due to shipping back to the factory or the calibration facility in Singapore.
Article by Robin Sharma, MeaTech Solutions
