Embedding quality in PV projects Pierre-Emmanuel FROT Solar Power Plant and Storage Systems Global Business VP 1
Schneider Electric is a world leader in Energy Management Schneider Electric by the numbers Global specialist in energy management More than 4.5 GW connected all around the world. 178 251 years billion of history in consolidated revenue 160,000+ 1.15 total workforce billion Make the most of your energy 100+ countries devoted to R&D representing 4-5% of sales 43% 1.9 #1 or #2 sales billion net income Player in new economies +12% vs. 2011 1. Pro-forma basis including LTM Sep 2013 revenue from Invensys in 90% world group sales 2
What makes the RoI of a plant Weather/radiation Grid integration Plant performance and availability CAPEX & OPEX $ Financing PPA or feeding tariff Most of the actors in the solar market have a short-term approach (1 to 5 years max). Only investors look beyond. Short-term and long-term interest do not always go along well 3
Not the same time scale for all the actors TOC to 3/5 years EPC and Project developer not acting as IPP Make most of the supply and technical decisions Generally limited to technical due diligence 15 to 25 years SPV owner, Banks 4 (1) Renewable Division & Before corporate costs
Product life time All systems are designed according to performance they shall deliver, the constraints they shall face and the time they shall operate (life time and MTBF) Capacitors: film or electrolyte technology? Choice between CAPEX, and short-term or OPEX and longterm 5 (1) Renewable Division & Before corporate costs
Environment conditions Environment in which equipment operate generate different constraints which need to be correctly managed temperature range, humidy, rodant, pollution, salt (1) Renewable Division & Before corporate costs 6
Design safety margin All systems should include a certain safety margin in their design as they may face unexpected conditions but market pressure may push suppliers to reduce them. CL20000E CL25000E Input (DC) Full power MPPT voltage range 350-800 V 430-800 V Operating voltage range 250-1000V 250-1000V Number of MPPT / strings per MPPT 2 / 4 2 / 4 Max. DC input current per MPPT 31.0 A 31.0 A Max. array short circuit current per MPPT 40 A 40 A Nominal DC input power 21.5 kw 26.5 kw Lower price per W The more narrow is the MPPT window, the more the inverter is probably boosted 7 (1) Renewable Division & Before corporate costs
Availability the most critical revenue risk Availability of the electrical chain is critical to secure the SPV revenue. The closest to the grid connection, the most it is critical. Service availability (parts, skilled technicians ) close by are thus a must have especially in remote areas. Regional Solar Solution Centrea, Offices & Service Centres Solar installations in the Region 8
Availability the most critical revenue risk Fully tested systems are a must especially when maintenance is not available as then only reliability can keep the availability on track. Modular inverters production curve 9
Integration the evil is in the interface Many issues happen when electrically and mechanically interfacting the various parts of the systems together. It can generate short-term and long-term quality issues (fast ageing for example, failure rate ). Electronic components At high t (electrical) Cooling flow (mechanical) 10
Monitoring efficiently the system To maintain the performance level of the system, it is important to track its evolution with enough details and to propely manage any deviation. This is in addition important to manage grid code evolution especially for large plants. Equipment comparison Lazy panels 11 (1) Renewable Division & Before corporate costs
Upgradability a way of facing new constraints Upgradability is not by itself a quality parameter. However, it is important to manage change of the operational environment end eventually bring additional revenue. Storage will be the next big thing 12 (1) Renewable Division & Before corporate costs
Conclusion Data Local services and parts Validated integration Avoiding short-cuts and extensive testing Short-term vs long-term and not always more expensive Priorities and perception of each actor 13