Smart Photovoltaic Systems

It is new philosophy to generate high electricity production from large scale photovoltaic systems with low operation and maintenance cost.

Smart photovoltaic system means to use simplified design and hardware and latest technology to improve maintenance and operation of photovoltaic power plant.

This smart system can automatically discover faults in a high speed and have the ability to diagnose and rectify that faults by using a fully automated component and new technology of communication systems.

How can you implement smart photovoltaic system at your new PV plant?

This can be done by achieve some procedures at three main layer of your project as following:

First: At bottom layer: This layer contains your PV plant main component, I mean the modules as they consider the engine room of your PV system, at this layer the module strings will be equipped by a smart controller that can monitor the voltage and current of each string all over the plant so that the fault location can be precisely indicated.

Second: At intermediate layer: This layer contains PV monitoring and production management systems where an integrated computer monitoring system is deployed on unified communication platform to monitor the running status of each device of the power plant.

Third: At top layer: this layer contain centralized operation and maintenance center which manage the whole PV plant by collecting all data geographically distributed in various area and make analysis to help the operators to take decision for increasing the electricity production and reduce management cost based on the above two layers.

So smart PV system is a fully automated system which can automatically discover, diagnose and rectify faults, thereby improving the electricity yields, lowering operation and maintenance cost and increases the system revenue. 

Solar Photovoltaic Inverters Types

We know that Inverter is an essential component of nearly all types of solar photovoltaic system; it is defined as the device that converts DC electricity to AC electricity.

Now I will introduce to you all types of solar photovoltaic Inverters present at the market:

First:  Stand Alone Solar Inverter, which characterize by the following:

1-     It coverts DC electricity to AC electricity.

2-   It runs by pulling DC current from batteries charged from any DC electricity source like engine generator or wind turbine …etc.

3-   In the same time it refill batteries with DC electricity from any AC current Source when it possible.

4-   It used in feeding homes and small industrial system by AC electricity as a power backup.

In most cases as conclusion we use it in stand alone solar photovoltaic system with backup.

Second: Battery Backup Solar Inverter, which characterize by the following:

1-     It used to get AC electricity from batteries and this AC electricity will go to a selected area which needs power during outage and in the same it brings extra electricity to utility grid "feed in tariff ".

2-   It contain onboard charger to manage the batteries energy.

In most cases as conclusion we use it in stand alone solar photovoltaic system without backup.

Third: Grid Connected Solar Inverter, which characterize by the following:

1-     It used to convert DC electricity to AC electricity and it is programmed to automatically turn off during grid power outage.

2-   It allows the home owner to sell electricity to Electricity Company.

In most cases as conclusion we use it in grid connected photovoltaic system without battery backup.

Fourth: Micro Inverter, which characterize by the following:

1-     It attaches directly to individual photovoltaic modules.

2-   It is used to extracting maximum electrical power from each module.

3-   Although it is highly efficient as it produces more electrical power than on grid inverter but it is more costly.