Presented by: Peter S.

Burcat
President & CEO
Solar Forensics
SOME COMMON REASONS WHY THERE MAY BE A POOR YIELD FROM A PV SYSTEM:

Solar Panel Failure Over Voltage Issues

Solar PV Inverter Failure Under Voltage Issues

Solar PV Inverter Mismatch Temperature Issues

Solar Module Shading Inverter Overheating

Solar Module External Influences Electrical Supply Fault to Inverter

Installation Problems Module Cell Degradation

 MISMATCH

1. What is Mismatch?
2. How to Identify Mismatch
3. How to avoid and/or resolve Mismatch
 WHAT IS MISMATCH
Manufacturing Mismatch
Design Mismatch
Shade
Irradiation mismatch (clouds, reflected light and soiling)
Thermal mismatch
PID (Potential Induced Degradation)
Aging
Possible Technical failures: Broken Hardware; Improper
Grounding; Electrical Arching
Example: Individual Module Outputs in a series string

* Slide Source: Tigo Energy, Inc.

 MEASURED FLEET MISMATCH
Main Contributors
Module binning mismatch 3.0%
Tigo compiled data from over 500 k
modules deployed across the world Thermal mismatch 1.0%
The standard deviation of the fleet was Variable soiling 0.5%
11.3% Cloud variance 1.0%
Major contributors to mismatch % failed diodes found 0.5%
identified and quantified
Variable degradation (per year) 0.5%

Total Mismatch (Year 1) 5-7%

Total Mismatch (Year 5) 7-9%

Total Mismatch (Year 15) 12-15%

Source Solar-Pro January 2014
Source Solar-Pro January 2014
 IDENTIFYING POSSIBLE MISMATCH

System Inspection
String Monitoring
Thermography
Poor Workmanship & Attention to QC Detail

Mismatched Modules
HOW SHADE EFFECTS A SOLAR CELL
SHADED CELL EFFECTING A MODULE
The presence of an
overhead power
line caused
shading on the
modules at certain
hours of the day
Heat from a hot spot
dissipated in a shaded cell
caused the module to crack
 An example of a tree which has grown tall enough to cast a
significant amount of shade on the solar array of a nearby roof.
Inadequate Grounding
 HOW TO AVOID/RESOLVE MISMATCH
Proper Design Equipment and Site Selection
Proper Installation
Micro-Inverters
AC Modules
Bypass Diodes
Power Optimizers
Replace Defective Equipment
Example:
Inputs for SolarGis for
planning and performance
monitoring
QUESTIONABLE DESIGN ENGINEERING

Wind gust easily

knocking over a poorly
designed racking
system
QUESTIONABLE INSTALLATION METHOD

Did not use connecters,

but rather spliced wires
together and wrapped
with electrical tape
System had not yet been commissioned.
System located approximately 100 meters from the ocean
IMPROPER HARDWARE

Combiner box made out of plastic

Not NEMA 3R approved
Water intruded into box through loose seams
and through screw holes and punch out.
The future aint what it use to be.
Yogi Berra
 Questions?
Peter S. Burcat
President & CEO
Solar Forensics
pburcat@solarforensics.com

SOLARFORENSICS.COM
(888) 232-6851