Photovoltaic Installations (IFV)

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Photovoltaic Solar Energy

Full technical assistance for the implementation of photovoltaic installations (radiation year, site-specific production, installation design, construction follow up and production testing and monitoring).

Validation of installations constructed by applying legal regulated procedures.

Diagnostic and functional testing of photovoltaic installations.

Due diligence of finished and under construction PV plants.

To set up a photovoltaic installation the first step is to assess the solar resource in the location chosen. Following the assessment, the installation is designed, installed and put into operation.

CENER has the capacity to respond to the resource assessment needs, the design, monitoring of the installation and start-up, establishing optimal operating conditions. This knowledge enables it to:

Execute own projects
Act as a Technical Advisor for developers and installers
Act as an Independent Supervising Entity (ESI) for financial institutions as project financers, according to the Due Diligence system.

CENER normally carries out the following stages for the technical Due Diligence of a photovoltaic installation:

Prior to granting the financing

Solar resource assessment:
- Compile data of atmospheric conditions (irradiation, temperature, wind and other conditions that have a direct influence on energy production by photovoltaic means) for the exact location where the installation is going to be carried out.
- Obtain “standard year” based on at least 3 national and international databases (with 10 years’ history at least).
- Calculate the performance ratio of the installation: Based on the photovoltaic components chosen and other considerations due to the integration or estimation of the expected energy production at the location.
Photovoltaic installation design
- Design and simulate the different installation configurations possible using computer applications according to the peculiarities of the location chosen.

After the financing has been accepted and during execution

Monitor the installation
Start-up
Operation and diagnosis conditions after the first year’s activity. The normal stages are:
- Assess production data, availability, faults and incidents.
- Study the evolution of the plant components in time, in order to assess their degradation conditions.
- Analyse the wave quality injected into the grid o Prepare report and diagnosis.

This methodology can be applied to any photovoltaic installation connected to the grid, regardless of its power.

Finally, CENER can act as an “Independent Supervising Entity” for measures related to decisions on the compliance of production guarantees.

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