Increase performance and reliability of photovoltaic plants

Topic description

Specific Challenge:

To accurately predict and measure the contribution of PV systems (including floating PV) to the power network, and to increase their lifetime, reliability and profitability, it is necessary to establish accurate operation (and fault diagnostic) models in both "utility - large commercial" and "medium-size commercial - residential" scale plants. Reliability assessment and improvement (with all it entails for the distribution network reliability) can be achieved by identifying and minimising risk factors and failure rates of the PV system and its components.

This challenge contributes to the Implementation Plan for PV^[1] established in the context of the SET-Plan and in particular to the Initiative for Global Leadership in PV.

Proposals will develop and demonstrate technical solutions, processes and models, which increase a PV system's operational stability and reliability, allowing for higher PV penetration levels. Proposals are expected to address specific objectives such as the reliability of system components, advanced and automated functions for data analysis, diagnosis and fault detection, forecasting and model-predictive control frameworks, ancillary services for the stability of the network; maintenance planning and/or reporting; interoperability of plants and components; business models; etc.

Proposals are expected to bring the technologies from TRL 6-7 to TRL 7-8 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 6 to 10 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Projects are expected to increase utility-friendly integration of PV generation at high-penetration levels and the performance and profitability of PV systems.

Clean Energy

[1]https://setis.ec.europa.eu/system/files/set_plan_pv_implmentation_plan.pdf