Measure Before Connecting Anything to a Photovoltaic System
If you do not measure you can not improve it
In order to optimise the peformance of your solar photovoltaic project it is imperative to measure regularly the key parameters of the system. The routine check should take place at different hours and days under various weather conditions. It is important to check the PV string voltage at low irradiation and high solar irradiation (full sun with clear sky). The measure of PV array is crucial for understanding the MPPT voltage of the inverter. If the voltage falls below the start up level , it will fail to produce any useful energy even in cloudy days
Always Measure Volts before connection to PV
We experience a significant number of early failures when the customers did not measure the voltage and polarity of the solar panels during the commissioning phase.
Simple measurement for PV panels
- Measure the voltage of the each individual solar panel and check if the voltage is close to the open circuit voltage Voc
- Connect the panels in series and check that the maximum voltage is below the allowed open circuit voltage of the inverter
- Check the polarity of the panels and use colour coded cables, red for positive and black for negative.
- Use a DC isolator switch with the correct current (Amps) and voltage interruption capacity.