PV FAULT REPORTING WEBSITE

(this fault reporting website is now closed and a report summarising the results will be made available shortly)

As part of this project a web-based survey was developed for anyone who owns, operates, installs or inspects a PV system and/or has detected a fault/problem with whole or part of the system. This ‘PV Module and System Fault Reporting Portal’ was developed to increase the understanding of the PV industry about the types of problems that are found with different system components when they are exposed to the Australian environment. It will help to improve future PV system design, component selection, product development and product approvals for Australian conditions.

Project description

There is a large range of PV modules and systems across Australia and the world, operating under an extremely wide variety of climate conditions. These variations in system specifications and climate can significantly impact overall performance.

This project will provide a publicly available, high quality PV performance database containing location-specific technical, operational and performance data. Data will be collated from a variety of representative locations across Australia. Analysis of these data and project outputs will highlight technical aspects of PV systems that need improvement, inform development of standards and guidelines, and enable comparisons to be made of performance, reliability and economics in different climate zones.

This project will increase overall investment confidence in PV markets by providing information on performance and reliability of PV systems in Australian climate conditions. Through participation in the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Program’s task on Performance and Reliability and the International PV Quality Assurance Taskforce, the project will also contribute to establishing internationally agreed methods of assessing and communicating information about PV performance and reliability.

Reports

‘PV System Reliability – Preliminary Findings from the PV Module and System Fault Reporting Website’, ASPRC 2014

Analysis of Long-Term Performance of PV Systems, IEA PVPS, 2014

‘Correcting Output Data from Distributed PV Systems for Performance Analysis’, Abstract, ASPRC 2014

‘Improved ’Nowcasting’ of Residential PV Generation Using Clustering Methods’, Abstract, EU PVSEC 2014

Australian PV System Monitoring Guide 2013

Presentations

‘Correcting Output Data from Distributed PV Systems for Performance Analysis’, ASPRC 2014

‘Improved ’Nowcasting’ of Residential PV Generation Using Clustering Methods’, EU PVSEC 2014

PV Module Quality, Reliability & Compliance, CEC ATRAA Conference 2014