Technology company Morgan Solar has released a white paper in collaboration with Clearway Energy Group on I-V curve data. The white paper, titled “Root-Causing Suboptimal Field Performance with Inline I-V Curve Tracing,” explores how Clearway uses Morgan Solar’s IV DAQ to diagnose DC-side losses and define repowering strategies that improve plant yield.
A Clearway project in Illinois.
For independent power producers (IPPs) focused on long-term site profitability, Morgan Solar’s IV DAQ offers a comprehensive module health management strategy and perspectives on monitoring DC system interactions. Unlike inverter-based data and drone scans, IV DAQs provide data granularity and longevity. Continuous measurement of module performance delivers essential “bottom-up” insights into how DC systems interact over time.
The paper delves into a diagnostic case where data from the IV DAQ was used to isolate the cause of summer power loss phenomena at a solar plant reaching mid-life. A key aspect of solar plant design is ensuring that module string configurations align with inverter MPPT systems. The white paper highlights how anomalies in module specifications can disrupt this balance, causing potential for significant power production losses.
By isolating these anomalies using IV DAQ data, the study identifies how module degradation and higher-than-anticipated temperature coefficients result in a condition known as “undervoltage.” This condition causes the module Pmp (maximum power point) to fall below the MPPT window, leading to decreased power production on hot, sunny days — when the plant should be most productive. Through detailed modeling of degradation rates and temperature coefficient changes enabled by the IV DAQ, the Clearway team was able to predict the financial impact of these undervoltage losses and develop an informed repowering strategy for the site.
“To address module health evaluation, Clearway Energy Group has adopted Morgan Solar’s in-line I-V curve tracers. These sensors capture continuous data on module health as well as how the modules are constrained by plant and environmental operating conditions. Placing these sensors at strategic points throughout a plant allows for monitoring and testing of module-specific factors such as degradation, soiling, and bifacial gain, as well as balance of system interaction with inverters and trackers,” said Bill Shisler, Director of O&M Electrical Engineering at Clearway Energy Group.
“Morgan Solar’s high-quality, high-frequency I-V curve data elevates the solar industry’s ability to understand asset performance and make critical cleaning, warranty, and repowering decisions,” said JP Morgan, CTO at Morgan Solar. “Better data leads to better decisions.”
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