$4.6 Billion Loss! How to Avoid "Losing Out" in Solar PV Systems?

The photovoltaic (PV) industry, as a crucial component of renewable energy, has shown vigorous development momentum in recent years. Globally, the installed capacity of PV systems continues to rise, and the trend of clean energy replacing traditional sources is becoming increasingly prominent.

However, with the expansion of PV system scales, some previously underestimated issues are gradually coming to light. Particularly, the issue of power PV system losses have become a focal point in the industry, and exploring its causes and seeking methods to minimize economic losses has become one of the industry’s top priorities.

Solar Energy Continues Dominance

According to data from the International Energy Agency, the global solar energy installed capacity reached approximately 375 GW in 2023, representing a 57% increase from the previous year’s 239 GW. This has propelled the cumulative global PV installed capacity to surpass 1500 GW, reaching an impressive figure of 1550 GW.

Whether in recent years or the foreseeable future, solar power generation continues to dominate various types of new energy sources, including wind power, hydroelectric power, and biomass energy. Although the growth rate of PV installations may slightly slow down, its upward trend is expected to continue, with hopes of surpassing the 3000 GW mark in the near future.

Research Shows Significant PV System Losses

However, against this backdrop of rapid growth, some long-overlooked issues are magnifying year by year, resulting in significant economic losses, with solar PV system loss being particularly prominent.

Raptor Maps monitored 125 GW of PV assets from 41 countries. They collected data through drones, robots, application programming interfaces (APIs), and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and conducted detailed studies. They found that in just this portion of PV assets, there was $1.777 billion in preventable annual income loss. If this data is extrapolated to all solar assets worldwide, potential annual income losses could reach $4.6 billion.

The research report also indicates that the average PV system loss calculation is approximately $4,696 per megawatt, but actual losses vary depending on factors such as geographical location, system size, and module type. It is noteworthy that at larger-scale PV sites (100MWdc+), the annual income loss per megawatt is higher, averaging $5,000. Since 2019, the average PV system losses of under-performance has increased from 1.61% to 4.47% in 2023.

Various Factors Contribute to PV System Losses

System Failures: According to Raptor Maps’ research, system-level failures remain the largest factor contributing to power losses in solar PV systems, with inverter failures, string disconnections, and combiner box failures having the most significant impact on power, accounting for 1.91%, 0.90%, and 0.81% respectively.

The root causes of system failures are complex, but the most common factors can be categorized into two types.

Firstly, system aging, whether it’s PV panels, inverters, or wiring, can lead to component aging issues over prolonged operation, especially when subjected to adverse environmental conditions such as sandstorms and heavy rain over an extended period. These conditions can exacerbate Mismatch losses in PV systems, as aged components may not perform optimally, leading to inefficiencies in the overall system.

Secondly, the speed of industry-standard development has failed to keep pace with the rapid growth of the global business, leading to a series of industry issues. Some low-quality PV panels, inverters, and other products have captured market share through low-cost sales methods but have failed to deliver the expected power generation results. This early low-cost investment has led to frequent system failures and increasing losses over the years, shortening the system’s lifespan.

Neglect of Maintenance: Whether it is because system maintenance is considered to increase additional human and financial resources expenditures, or because of the lack of talents and technology under objective conditions, some business owners neglect the importance of regular maintenance. As a result, some preventable problems such as soiling losses in PV modules cannot be solved in advance, leading to system failures and downtime of varying scales, further increasing PV system losses.

Extreme Weather: In addition to the aforementioned reasons, frequent occurrences of extreme weather in recent years have also exacerbated system losses. Extreme weather events such as storms, blizzards, sandstorms, and hailstorms typically have a significant impact on PV systems, directly causing some components to malfunction, thereby reducing system efficiency.

Different Solutions to Avoid Preventable Losses

Selection of High-Quality Components: To reduce power losses in solar PV systems, the primary task is to select high-quality PV components and equipment. Investing in reliable, certified PV panels, inverters, and other products may initially incur higher costs but can effectively reduce the occurrence of faults, extend equipment lifespans, and thus reduce PV system losses.

Additionally, conducting thorough investigations and evaluations of suppliers like Beny New Energy and selecting reputable manufacturers with long warranty periods are also critical for ensuring system reliability.

Implementation of Safety Protection Measures: Equipping the system with comprehensive safety protection systems is essential for preventing system failures and PV system losses. This includes surge protectors, DC circuit breakers, DC isolator switches, rapid shutdown devices, and other equipment, which can effectively protect PV systems from the adverse effects of voltage surges, short circuits, overcurrents, and other abnormal conditions, ensuring the safe and stable operation of the system.

Moreover, taking corresponding protective measures in anticipation of foreseeable extreme weather, especially in regions where extreme weather events are frequent, such as reinforcing fixed equipment and installing protective covers, can effectively reduce the impact of weather factors on the system.

Strengthening System Maintenance: Timely and regular system maintenance is crucial for minimizing power losses in solar PV systems. Implementing a robust maintenance system, conducting regular inspections, and promptly addressing potential issues can significantly improve system performance and stability. Additionally, enhancing personnel training to improve maintenance skills ensures effective and efficient maintenance work, thereby ensuring smooth system operation.

Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: Creating a thorough monitoring and analysis system, checking system performance in real-time, and swiftly addressing issues can enhance electricity generation efficiency and economic viability. Advanced monitoring tech and remote platforms aid in detecting and managing potential problems for safe system operation.

Beny’s Solutions that Benefit Every Customer

With years of deep involvement in the PV industry, Beny’s direct current (DC) transmission and distribution solutions have emerged as industry leaders. Addressing various potential issues during system operation, Beny provides different products and monitoring systems to comprehensively safeguard the safe and stable operation of PV systems, reducing PV system losses.

DC Circuit Breakers: Beny’s DC molded-case circuit breakers, DC miniature circuit breakers, and DC circuit breakers suitable for battery energy storage systems (BESS) meet the needs of different scenarios, providing overload, short-circuit, and anti-backflow protection functions, as well as arc flash barriers, improving system safety and stability.

DC Isolator Switches: Beny’s DC isolator switches are specifically designed for PV DC systems and energy storage systems, high-performance electrical equipment with modular design, rated voltages covering DC300V to DC1600V, and rated currents covering 8A to 800A. Using patented DC arc extinction technology, it can extinguish arcs in as little as 3ms, with a lockable handle to prevent misoperation.

Surge Protectors: Beny provides both DC and alternating current (AC) surge protectors, offering T1, T1+T2, and T2 class protection for the system. Equipped with a thermal trip mechanical device internally, with fault indication through a red indicator, and optionally equipped with remote signal contacts for monitoring. Once a surge voltage occurs, it can respond rapidly in nanoseconds, maintaining system stability.

Rapid Shutdown Devices: In the event of a system failure, Beny’s rapid shutdown devices can quickly reduce the voltage to a safe level within microseconds, avoiding serious accidents and losses. Using Power Line Communication (PLC) technology to quickly transmit abnormal signals during emergencies or maintenance operations. Additionally, they have proactive measures such as automatically implementing module-level shutdowns in cases of over-temperature or AC power failure.

Monitoring Systems: Customers can also equip monitoring systems to achieve real-time management of various modules in the system. Once any abnormalities occur, maintenance personnel can quickly locate and resolve the issues, reducing the risk of system failures and downtime, thereby reducing system losses.

Furthermore, Beny’s products meet international quality standards and have obtained industry certifications such as UL, REC, TÜV Rheinland, AS, CE, CB, RoHS, etc. They also have high protection levels, use UV-resistant and flame-retardant materials, and have undergone extreme environmental tests ranging from -40°C to +85°C, making them suitable for harsh environments. They provide reliable guarantees for the stable and safe operation of PV systems.

Conclusion

As a significant component of clean energy, the PV industry has made tremendous achievements in recent years. However, as the scale of PV systems expands, issues such as power loss have gradually emerged, posing considerable challenges to the industry. Through an in-depth analysis of the causes of power loss, we can see the impact of factors such as system failures, neglect of maintenance, and extreme weather on PV systems.

However, with technological advancements and continuous improvement of solutions, we are confident in effectively reducing power losses and ensuring the safe and stable operation of PV systems.

Beny’s DC transmission and distribution solutions provide reliable protection for the PV industry, and its high-quality products and advanced monitoring systems will further enhance system performance and stability, contributing to the development of clean energy. Let us work together to promote the PV industry towards a more sustainable direction, striving for the clean and efficient utilization of energy resources.