Application Notes/Articles

This article provides an excellent introduction to I-V curve tracers for use in commissioning, auditing and troubleshooting PV arrays.

Poor PV source performance hurts the bottom line. Fortunately, performance problems show up in the measured I-V curve. This article describes the six ways that measured I-V curves can deviate from normal curve shape and provides an Array Troubleshooting Flowchart to help you identify the most likely causes.

This Commissioning Guide outlines methods to use during commissioning to characterize and maximize PV system performance.

Slides from the expert training on how to effectively and safely use the PV Analyzer. Topics include PVA hardware and software, as well as PV module and system performance concepts. Voice-over version coming in June.

The PV Analyzer user saves the I-V curve measurement of a PV string by just touching the corresponding branch of a graphical ‘array tree.’ This Application Note describes use of the Array Navigator, including the Symmetrical Tree Builder, that lets you quickly customize your array tree and name the layers to exactly match the engineering drawings. This improves the reliability of the measurement process in the field, and assures that the measurement results will be correctly labeled in your final report.

Harnessing is a strategy for reducing the number of combiner boxes and associated feeder runs, as well as the number of string home run conductors, by paralleling strings upstream of the combiner. This note describes two strategies for setting up your Project in the PVA Analyzer software for measuring and evaluating the performance of harnessed arrays.

Care must be taken when selecting what I-V curve measurement architecture to use when measuring high efficiency modules and strings. This app note discusses the challenges and how the Solmetric PV Analyzer avoids the pitfalls.