Decrease in solar PV power output can be caused by cell degradation, or in many cases diecrete faults like a simple disconnect e.g. occruning in a worn out MC4 connector between 2 solar PV modules.
The life expectancy and efficiency loss over time for a PV system, depends closely on the quality of operations & maintenance.
Solar PV system disconnects can be located within +/- 1 solar panel accuracy. The measurement takes about 20 seconds, and it is probably the fastest way to measure the position of a disconnect. The alternative to using the Z100 PV Analyzer is often to inspect individual modules for faults and internal disconnect, and the PV installer typically spend a lot of time troubleshooting. With the Z100 PV Analyzer equipment, a more systematic approach may be carried out.
Whenever a string if it is not performing to its specifications, the first step is usually to measure the IMPEDANCE of the solar panel string, . If the impedance is very high, say 10 kΩ, the user should suspect a PV disconnect in the system, and refer to the Disconnect application of the Z100 PV Analyzer.
In this video we show how to find a solar system disconnect using the Z100 PV Analyzer. For more info, go to www.emazys.com.
Post time: Feb-07-2017