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Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE User Manual

I-v curve tracer

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Table of Contents
Getting Started
Overview
Computer Minimum System Requirements
Equipment
Curve Tracer Equipment
Solsensor Equipment
Specifications
PVA-1500 I-V Measurement Unit Specifications
PVA-1500 Test Lead and Clip Specifications
Table 2. Electrical and Mechanical Specifications for the Test Leads and Clips Provided with the Pva-1500
Solsensor Specifications
Table 3. Solsensor Specifications
Safety and Regulatory
PVA-1500 Safety and Regulatory
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Declaration of Conformity
Cleaning
Instrument Markings
Solsensor Safety and Regulatory
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Declaration of Conformity
Cleaning
Instrument Markings
Precautions
PVA-1500 Precautions
Using Test Leads and Clips
Figure 1. Pva-1500S/V2/V3/V4/T MC-4 to Alligator Clip ( Left ), and Pva-1500He Banana Jack to
Using PV Connector Saver Jumpers
Pv/Electrical Safety Precautions
Battery Precautions
Measuring High-Efficiency PV Modules
Solsensor Precautions
Covering the Irradiance Sensor
Cleaning the Irradiance Sensor
Battery Precautions
Installation Procedure
I-V Measurement Unit Installation Procedure
Hardware Installation
Software Installation
Figure 2. Welcome Screen
Figure 3. Prerequisites Dialog
Figure 4. Installation Default Location Dialog
Figure 5. Installation Complete Dialog
Figure 6. the Software User Interface
Updating the PV Equipment Databases
Solsensor Installation Procedure
Charging the Battery
Charging the Battery on the PVA-1500 I-V Measurement Units
Figure 7. Directory Structure of Pva Software
Figure 8. Battery Charger Connector on the I-V Measurement Unit
Charging the Solsensor
Figure 9. Charger Connected
Your Wireless Network
Your PVA-1500/Solsensor Wireless Network
Figure 10. the Wifi Network of the PVA-1500, Solsensor, and Your PC
Setting up and Using the I-V Measurement Unit and Solsensor
System Controls and Settings
Operational States of the PVA-1500 I-V Unit and Solsensor
Table 4. Pushbutton Led
Setting up the I-V Measurement Unit
Setting up Solsensor
Figure 12. Sol Sensor Mounted on the Frame of Apv Module
Mounting Sol Sensor to Apv Module Frame
Figure 13. Solsensor Tool Lanyard Secured to a Racking Member
Figure 14. Solsensor Correctly Seated Along the Upper Horizontal Leg of the Module Frame
Figure 15. Tip of Frame Clamp Properly Seated on Inside Surface of Module Frame
Figure 16. Thermocouple Plugged into the Tc1 Connector
Figure 17. Locating the Thermocouple Tip on a Single Free-Standing Module
Optimizing Wireless Transmission Range
Figure 18. Sol Sensor Pushbutton with Led Lit . Led Blinks until Wireless Network Is Established
Mounting Solsensor on a Tripod
Figure 19. Tripod Mounting Setup
Connecting to the Solar Pv Equipment
Powering-Up the I-V Measurement Unit
Figure 20. Example of I-V Measurement Unit Test Leads Clipped to the Buss Bars of Apv Combiner
I-V Measurements
Sweep Disabled
Over-Temperature Protection
Figure 21. Powering-Up the I-V Measurement Unit
Sweep-To-Sweep Delay and Thermal Capacity of the PVA-1500
Table 5. Sweep-To-Sweep Delay
Table 6. Thermal Capacity
Operating under High-Temperature Conditions
Over-Voltage Warnings
PVA-1500 Over-Voltage Condition
Over-Current Warnings
Reverse Polarity or Zero Volts Detection
Software Overview
Using Projects
Using the System Tree
Main Screen Overview
Menu Bar
File Menu
Browse Project
Recent Projects
Export Trace for Active Measurement
Export Traces for Entire System
Figure 23. File Menu
Export Meg Test Data
New Project
Figure 24. the Site Info Screen of the New Project Wizard
Figure 25. Controls in the Site Info Screen, Set for a Fixed Array with 180-Degree Azimuth
Figure 26. most Common Settings for a Horizontal Single-Axis Tracking System
Selecting Your PV Module
Creating the System Tree
Using the Symmetrical Tree Builder
Figure 31. Finished Array Tree for a Utility
Figure 32. the Default System Tree in the Figure 33. Controls for Editing the String Wiring Properties of Your Array Tree
Cloning, Modifying, and Reusing a Previous Project
Figure 34. Directory Structure Used by the Figure 35. Properties Menu
Properties Menu
View Menu
Trace View Options
Show Meg Test Tab
Utility Menu
Table 7. Utility Menu Description
Help Menu
Figure 37. Help Menu
Table 8. Help Menu Description
Using the Tab Screens
Traces Tab
Table 9. Traces Tab Description
Figure 39. Table Tab
History Tab
Table 10. Table Tab Description
Figure 40. History Tab
Table 11. History Tab Advanced
Meg Test Tab
Figure 41. Meg Test Tab
Description of the Exported I-V Data File
Table 12. Meg Test Tab Description
Figure 42. Headeri
Table 13. Description of Theh
Figure 43. the Measurement Vs
Figure 44. the Sol Sensorm
Figure 45. Modeld
Table 14. Description of Thes
Table 15. Description of Them
Basis of Pv Performance Predictions
Solsensor Irradiance Calibration
Figure 46. the Voltage , Current
Irradiance Measurement
Prediction of PV Performance
Translation of Measured Values to STC
Measurement of I
Calibration Verification
Figure 47. Calibrationv
Pva Pc Software Updates
PVA-1500 and Solsensor 300V2 Firmware Updates
Making Measurements
Introduction
Before You Go to the Field to Make Measurements
Charge the Equipment
Figure 48. Charging Icons
Figure 49. Over-Temp Charging Icon
Check that You Are Using the Latest PVA Software
Create a Project in the PVA Software
Make Sure You Have All Your Equipment
Assure Adequate Irradiance for Your Measurements
Making Measurements in the Field
Measure the Open Circuit Voltage Voc
Place the I-V Unit Near the PV Circuits to be Measured
Connect the Test Leads to the PVA
Launch the PVA Software
Load Your Project
Mount Solsensor
Attach Solsensor Thermocouple
Turn on the I-V Measurement Unit, and Connect Wirelessly to Your PC
Turn on Solsensor
Prepare the PV Source Circuits for Measurement
Are You Measuring Strings in Parallel
Are You Measuring High-Efficiency Modules
Connect the Test Leads to the PV Equipment
Select the First PV Circuit to be Measured
Make Your First Measurement
Figure 50. Results of an I-V
Select the Next PV Circuit and Take Another Measurement
View the Consistency of Your Data before Moving on
Alerts
Table 16. Measurement Alerts
Data Backup
Figure 51. Project Backups
Troubleshooting Pva Operation
Troubleshooting Using Status Messages
Figure 52. Status Indicator
Troubleshooting by Symptom
No I-V Measurement Unit" Message
Solsensor Parameter Values Are Not Displayed
Communication to I-V Measurement Unit or Solsensor Briefly Drops out
It Takes more Time than Usual to Return and Save a Measurement
I-V Curve Does Not Reach down to the X-Axis
I-V Trace Consists of Straight Line Segments
Trace Is Noisy
I-V Curve Drops to Zero Current at One or more Points
Short Circuit Current Is Much Higher, or Lower, than Predicted by the Model
Unstable Voltage Message
I-V Measurement Unit Cannot be Turned on
Thermal Fuse
Measuring Irradiance, Temperature, and Tilt
Introduction
Table 17. Sensor Choices
Measuring Irradiance with Solsensor
Solsensor Irradiance Sensor
Preliminary Vs Effective Irradiance
Solsensor Precautions
Protecting the Irradiance Sensor Element
Cleaning the Irradiance Sensor
Orienting and Mounting the Irradiance Sensor
Albedo Effects
Diffuse Light
Determining Irradiance from the Measured I-V Curve
Entering Irradiance Manually
Measuring Pv Module Backside Temperature with a Thermocouple
Selecting a Thermocouple Wire Gauge
Selecting a Thermocouple Tip
Selecting a Tape for Thermocouple Attachment
Attaching the Thermocouple to the Module Backside
Choosing a Location to Mount the Thermocouple on the Module or Array
Measuring Pv Module Temperature with an Infrared Thermometer
Determining Cell Temperature from the Measured I-V Curve
Using Smarttemp to Measure Cell Temperature
Interpreting Measured I-V Curves
Introduction
Inputs to the Pv Model
I-V Curve Terminology
Performance Factor
Fill Factor
The Shape of a Normal I-V Curve
Figure 53. Definition of the Fill
Figure 54. Anormal I-V
Interpreting I-V Curves
Notches or Steps
Array Is Partially Shaded, or Non-Uniform Soiling or Debris Is Present
PV Cells Are Damaged
Low Current
Uniform Soiling
Strip Shade
Dirt Dam
Module Degradation
Incorrect PV Module Is Selected for the PV Model
Number of PV Strings in Parallel Is Not Entered Correctly in the Model
Irradiance Changed between Irradiance and I-V Measurements
Irradiance Sensor Is Not Oriented in the Plane of Array
Albedo Effects (Reflection)
Manual Irradiance Sensor Is Not Accurate
Low Voltage
PV Cell Temperature Measurement Is Incorrect
One or more Bypass Diodes Are Shorted
Rounder Knee
Steeper Slope in Horizontal Leg
Tapered Shade or Dirt Dam Across All Cell Groups
Increased Shunting in PV Cells
Less Steep Slope in Vertical Leg
PV Wiring Has Excess Resistance
Electrical Interconnections in the Array Are Resistive
Series Resistance of PV Modules Has Increased
Troubleshooting Pv Arrays
Translation of I-V Data to Standard Test Conditions
Parameter Definitions
Translation Equations

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1 Pva-1500 I-V Measurement Unit Specifications
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™ I-V C

PV A

OLMETRIC

NALYZER

URVE

RACER

SER

UIDE

PVA-1500

Versions S, V2, V3, V4, T, and HE

™

with SolSensor

300/300V2

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Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE User Manual

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