Identifying Derating in Solar Plants with the Delfos Platform

Context

At a large-scale solar plant, an unexpected reduction in energy production was observed in one of the inverters (inverter #14). Despite no alarms or warnings being issued by the equipment, the plant's production was below expectations. The technical team was initially unable to identify the exact cause of the problem.

Implemented Solution

The Delfos platform quickly identified that inverter #14 had the highest temperature among all equipment, pointing to a possible derating – an automatic reduction in power output due to overheating. This can occur due to ventilation system failures or adverse environmental conditions, common in installations exposed to the elements.

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Due to Delfos' continuous monitoring and intelligent analysis, the derating was detected on the first day of the anomaly, avoiding significant energy losses. It is estimated that the energy impact could have reached 10% of the affected inverter's production, depending on the level of limitation. With the rapid identification and corrective action suggested by the system, the operations team was able to mitigate the problem before it generated further losses.

Results Achieved

The case in question demonstrated a considerable Impact on Energy Production:

• Potential production reduction: between 5% and 10% per affected inverter;
• Response time: detection on the first day of non-compliance;
• Corrective action: preventive maintenance on ventilation systems and operational adjustments.

The application of Delfos' intelligent monitoring system was crucial to quickly identify and resolve the derating problem caused by inverter overheating. This ensured greater operational efficiency and avoided revenue losses, demonstrating the value of advanced monitoring and preventive maintenance solutions in solar plant operations.

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