SBIR Phase I: Intelligent Monitoring and Control of Revenue-Critical PV Power Plants

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在开发新的方法和算法来分析和控制光伏（PV）系统的退化。目前，光伏阵列普遍存在性能不佳的问题，而且往往未被发现。尽管在太阳能电池装置的设计阶段使用了许多现场评估和分析工具，但目前缺乏在线监测和诊断工具来检测和估计性能不佳以及可以提高性能的相关控制算法。表现不佳的光伏电池可能是由一系列相互关联的异常造成的，包括阴影、灰尘积聚、热点和组件故障。为了提高性能，智能控制可以通过在模块或模块串级操作点上的驱动来改善功率输出退化。该提案的目的是开发和模拟测试一种混合MAP-MPPT估计和控制算法，能够智能调节工作点，以最大限度地提高该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力，包括提高大规模光伏阵列的性能，以及更好地估计商业和住宅光伏系统的能源回报时间，从而进一步在全球范围内部署光伏。主要的收入关键，光伏电站的所有者-运营商通常利用专门的操作中心来监控计算机屏幕的墙壁，有时还有由逆变器触发的报警机制。通常情况下，使用临时方法和决策主要基于操作员的经验和直觉。尽管一些站点使用商业的基于web的监控服务，使用工业级的传感器，但这个过程远非严格，并且只取得了零星的成功。此外，对操作点的智能控制还没有得到充分的开发。该解决方案与监控光伏电站状态的能力相结合，将通过智能控制方法纠正故障，使大型光伏阵列在退化情况下实现最佳发电。潜在客户是收入关键的太阳能电站，包括：电力购买协议（PPA）承包商和租赁主机。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to develop new methods and algorithms for the analysis and control of degradations in Photovoltaic (PV) systems. There currently exists widespread, and often undetected, underperformance in PV arrays. Although there are numerous site evaluation and analysis tools used in the design phase of solar cell installations, there is currently a lack of on-line monitoring and diagnostic tools to detect and estimate underperformance and associated control algorithms that can improve performance. Underperforming PV cells can result from a host of inter-related abnormalities including shading, dust build up, hot spots and component failures. To improve performance intelligent control can be used to ameliorate power output degradation via actuation at the module- or module-string-level operating points. The purpose of this proposal is to develop, and test in simulation, a hybrid MAP-MPPT estimation and control algorithm, capable of intelligently modulating the operating point to maximize The broader impact/commercial potential of this project include the enhancement of performance of large scale PV arrays and the ability to better estimate the energy payback time for commercial and residential PV systems enabling further deployment of PV worldwide. Leading revenue-critical, PV power plant owner-operators often utilize dedicated operation centers to monitor walls of computer screens, sometimes with alarm mechanisms triggered by inverters. It is often the case that ad-hoc methods are utilized and decisions are based primarily on operator experience and intuition. Although some sites utilize commercial web-based monitoring services, with industrial grade sensors, this process is far from rigorous, and has resulted in only spotty success. Furthermore, the lack of intelligently controlling the operating point has not yet been fully developed. The proposed solution, used in conjunction with the ability to monitor the state of the PV plant, will correct faults via intelligent control methods enabling optimal power production under degradations for large scale PV arrays. Potential customers are revenue critical solar power sites including: Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) contractors, and lease-holder hosts.