Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE Manuals

Manuals and User Guides for Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE. We have 1 Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE manual available for free PDF download: User Manual

Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE User Manual (128 pages)

I-V CURVE TRACER

Brand: Solmetric | Category: Measuring Instruments | Size: 4 MB

Table of Contents
5
Getting Started
12
Overview
12
Computer Minimum System Requirements
13
Equipment
13
Curve Tracer Equipment
13
Solsensor Equipment
14
Specifications
15
PVA-1500 I-V Measurement Unit Specifications
15
PVA-1500 Test Lead and Clip Specifications
17
Table 2. Electrical and Mechanical Specifications for the Test Leads and Clips Provided with the Pva-1500
17
Solsensor Specifications
18
Table 3. Solsensor Specifications
18
Safety and Regulatory
19
PVA-1500 Safety and Regulatory
19
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
19
Declaration of Conformity
20
Cleaning
20
Instrument Markings
20
Solsensor Safety and Regulatory
21
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
21
Declaration of Conformity
21
Cleaning
21
Instrument Markings
21
Precautions
22
PVA-1500 Precautions
22
Using Test Leads and Clips
22
Figure 1. Pva-1500S/V2/V3/V4/T MC-4 to Alligator Clip ( Left ), and Pva-1500He Banana Jack to
22
Using PV Connector Saver Jumpers
23
Pv/Electrical Safety Precautions
23
Battery Precautions
24
Measuring High-Efficiency PV Modules
25
Solsensor Precautions
25
Covering the Irradiance Sensor
25
Cleaning the Irradiance Sensor
25
Battery Precautions
25
Installation Procedure
26
I-V Measurement Unit Installation Procedure
26
Hardware Installation
26
Software Installation
26
Figure 2. Welcome Screen
26
Figure 3. Prerequisites Dialog
27
Figure 4. Installation Default Location Dialog
27
Figure 5. Installation Complete Dialog
28
Figure 6. the Software User Interface
28
Updating the PV Equipment Databases
29
Solsensor Installation Procedure
29
Charging the Battery
29
Charging the Battery on the PVA-1500 I-V Measurement Units
29
Figure 7. Directory Structure of Pva Software
29
Figure 8. Battery Charger Connector on the I-V Measurement Unit
29
Charging the Solsensor
30
Figure 9. Charger Connected
30
Your Wireless Network
31
Your PVA-1500/Solsensor Wireless Network
31
Figure 10. the Wifi Network of the PVA-1500, Solsensor, and Your PC
31
Setting up and Using the I-V Measurement Unit and Solsensor
33
System Controls and Settings
33
Operational States of the PVA-1500 I-V Unit and Solsensor
34
Table 4. Pushbutton Led
34
Setting up the I-V Measurement Unit
35
Setting up Solsensor
36
Figure 12. Sol Sensor Mounted on the Frame of Apv Module
36
Mounting Sol Sensor to Apv Module Frame
37
Figure 13. Solsensor Tool Lanyard Secured to a Racking Member
37
Figure 14. Solsensor Correctly Seated Along the Upper Horizontal Leg of the Module Frame
38
Figure 15. Tip of Frame Clamp Properly Seated on Inside Surface of Module Frame
38
Figure 16. Thermocouple Plugged into the Tc1 Connector
39
Figure 17. Locating the Thermocouple Tip on a Single Free-Standing Module
39
Optimizing Wireless Transmission Range
40
Figure 18. Sol Sensor Pushbutton with Led Lit . Led Blinks until Wireless Network Is Established
40
Mounting Solsensor on a Tripod
41
Figure 19. Tripod Mounting Setup
42
Connecting to the Solar Pv Equipment
43
Powering-Up the I-V Measurement Unit
44
Figure 20. Example of I-V Measurement Unit Test Leads Clipped to the Buss Bars of Apv Combiner
44
I-V Measurements
45
Sweep Disabled
45
Over-Temperature Protection
45
Figure 21. Powering-Up the I-V Measurement Unit
45
Sweep-To-Sweep Delay and Thermal Capacity of the PVA-1500
46
Table 5. Sweep-To-Sweep Delay
46
Table 6. Thermal Capacity
46
Operating under High-Temperature Conditions
47
Over-Voltage Warnings
47
PVA-1500 Over-Voltage Condition
47
Over-Current Warnings
48
Reverse Polarity or Zero Volts Detection
48
Software Overview
49
Using Projects
49
Using the System Tree
50
Main Screen Overview
50
Menu Bar
51
File Menu
51
Browse Project
51
Recent Projects
51
Export Trace for Active Measurement
51
Export Traces for Entire System
51
Figure 23. File Menu
51
Export Meg Test Data
52
New Project
52
Figure 24. the Site Info Screen of the New Project Wizard
52
Figure 25. Controls in the Site Info Screen, Set for a Fixed Array with 180-Degree Azimuth
52
Figure 26. most Common Settings for a Horizontal Single-Axis Tracking System
53
Selecting Your PV Module
54
Creating the System Tree
55
Using the Symmetrical Tree Builder
56
Figure 31. Finished Array Tree for a Utility
56
Figure 32. the Default System Tree in the Figure 33. Controls for Editing the String Wiring Properties of Your Array Tree
56
Cloning, Modifying, and Reusing a Previous Project
59
Figure 34. Directory Structure Used by the Figure 35. Properties Menu
59
Properties Menu
60
View Menu
60
Trace View Options
60
Show Meg Test Tab
60
Utility Menu
60
Table 7. Utility Menu Description
61
Help Menu
64
Figure 37. Help Menu
64
Table 8. Help Menu Description
64
Using the Tab Screens
65
Traces Tab
65
Table 9. Traces Tab Description
66
Figure 39. Table Tab
69
History Tab
70
Table 10. Table Tab Description
70
Figure 40. History Tab
71
Table 11. History Tab Advanced
71
Meg Test Tab
72
Figure 41. Meg Test Tab
72
Description of the Exported I-V Data File
73
Table 12. Meg Test Tab Description
73
Figure 42. Headeri
74
Table 13. Description of Theh
74
Figure 43. the Measurement Vs
75
Figure 44. the Sol Sensorm
75
Figure 45. Modeld
76
Table 14. Description of Thes
76
Table 15. Description of Them
77
Basis of Pv Performance Predictions
78
Solsensor Irradiance Calibration
78
Figure 46. the Voltage , Current
78
Irradiance Measurement
79
Prediction of PV Performance
79
Translation of Measured Values to STC
79
Measurement of I
80
Calibration Verification
80
Figure 47. Calibrationv
80
Pva Pc Software Updates
81
PVA-1500 and Solsensor 300V2 Firmware Updates
81
Making Measurements
83
Introduction
83
Before You Go to the Field to Make Measurements
83
Charge the Equipment
83
Figure 48. Charging Icons
83
Figure 49. Over-Temp Charging Icon
83
Check that You Are Using the Latest PVA Software
84
Create a Project in the PVA Software
84
Make Sure You Have All Your Equipment
84
Assure Adequate Irradiance for Your Measurements
84
Making Measurements in the Field
85
Measure the Open Circuit Voltage Voc
85
Place the I-V Unit Near the PV Circuits to be Measured
85
Connect the Test Leads to the PVA
85
Launch the PVA Software
85
Load Your Project
86
Mount Solsensor
86
Attach Solsensor Thermocouple
86
Turn on the I-V Measurement Unit, and Connect Wirelessly to Your PC
86
Turn on Solsensor
87
Prepare the PV Source Circuits for Measurement
87
Are You Measuring Strings in Parallel
87
Are You Measuring High-Efficiency Modules
87
Connect the Test Leads to the PV Equipment
88
Select the First PV Circuit to be Measured
88
Make Your First Measurement
88
Figure 50. Results of an I-V
88
Select the Next PV Circuit and Take Another Measurement
90
View the Consistency of Your Data before Moving on
90
Alerts
91
Table 16. Measurement Alerts
91
Data Backup
92
Figure 51. Project Backups
92
Troubleshooting Pva Operation
93
Troubleshooting Using Status Messages
93
Figure 52. Status Indicator
93
Troubleshooting by Symptom
97
No I-V Measurement Unit" Message
97
Solsensor Parameter Values Are Not Displayed
98
Communication to I-V Measurement Unit or Solsensor Briefly Drops out
98
It Takes more Time than Usual to Return and Save a Measurement
99
I-V Curve Does Not Reach down to the X-Axis
99
I-V Trace Consists of Straight Line Segments
99
Trace Is Noisy
99
I-V Curve Drops to Zero Current at One or more Points
99
Short Circuit Current Is Much Higher, or Lower, than Predicted by the Model
100
Unstable Voltage Message
100
I-V Measurement Unit Cannot be Turned on
100
Thermal Fuse
100
Measuring Irradiance, Temperature, and Tilt
101
Introduction
101
Table 17. Sensor Choices
102
Measuring Irradiance with Solsensor
103
Solsensor Irradiance Sensor
103
Preliminary Vs Effective Irradiance
103
Solsensor Precautions
103
Protecting the Irradiance Sensor Element
103
Cleaning the Irradiance Sensor
103
Orienting and Mounting the Irradiance Sensor
103
Albedo Effects
104
Diffuse Light
104
Determining Irradiance from the Measured I-V Curve
105
Entering Irradiance Manually
106
Measuring Pv Module Backside Temperature with a Thermocouple
106
Selecting a Thermocouple Wire Gauge
107
Selecting a Thermocouple Tip
107
Selecting a Tape for Thermocouple Attachment
107
Attaching the Thermocouple to the Module Backside
108
Choosing a Location to Mount the Thermocouple on the Module or Array
108
Measuring Pv Module Temperature with an Infrared Thermometer
108
Determining Cell Temperature from the Measured I-V Curve
109
Using Smarttemp to Measure Cell Temperature
110
Interpreting Measured I-V Curves
111
Introduction
111
Inputs to the Pv Model
111
I-V Curve Terminology
112
Performance Factor
112
Fill Factor
112
The Shape of a Normal I-V Curve
113
Figure 53. Definition of the Fill
113
Figure 54. Anormal I-V
113
Interpreting I-V Curves
114
Notches or Steps
116
Array Is Partially Shaded, or Non-Uniform Soiling or Debris Is Present
118
PV Cells Are Damaged
118
Low Current
118
Uniform Soiling
119
Strip Shade
119
Dirt Dam
119
Module Degradation
119
Incorrect PV Module Is Selected for the PV Model
119
Number of PV Strings in Parallel Is Not Entered Correctly in the Model
119
Irradiance Changed between Irradiance and I-V Measurements
119
Irradiance Sensor Is Not Oriented in the Plane of Array
120
Albedo Effects (Reflection)
120
Manual Irradiance Sensor Is Not Accurate
120
Low Voltage
121
PV Cell Temperature Measurement Is Incorrect
121
One or more Bypass Diodes Are Shorted
121
Rounder Knee
122
Steeper Slope in Horizontal Leg
123
Tapered Shade or Dirt Dam Across All Cell Groups
123
Increased Shunting in PV Cells
123
Less Steep Slope in Vertical Leg
124
PV Wiring Has Excess Resistance
124
Electrical Interconnections in the Array Are Resistive
125
Series Resistance of PV Modules Has Increased
125
Troubleshooting Pv Arrays
125
Translation of I-V Data to Standard Test Conditions
127
Parameter Definitions
127
Translation Equations
128

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Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE Manuals

Solmetric PV ANALYZER PVA-1500HE User Manual (128 pages)

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