Energetica India Magazine -October 2020

SOLAR POWER upon and adapted as they gain more ex- perience in the capabilities and require- ments of the equipment on the market. Mini-grid plant monitoring consists of three complementary activities. Technical Audit: A technical audit is a deep and thorough testing of each plant component, and how all components are working togeth- er as an overall system. Such an activi- ty is carried out by qualified engineers, following the guidelines, and making full use of standardised templates for clearly recording observations for follow-up and analysis. The output of a technical audit will be a comprehensive appraisal of current and projected performance, along with practical interventions to combat iden- tified issues and safeguard the plant’s future potential. A technical audit is also an opportunity for plant operators to es- tablish and standardise the long-term monitoring practices: this means formal- ly identifying which parameters to track, how to collect the relevant data, and how to interpret the results. Training in this is particularly critical for the field team who have to respond to developments on the ground and implement routine monitor- ing and maintenance. By observing and being involved in the audit process, they will gain awareness of the warning signs of equipment health deterioration, and gain expertise in measurement tech- niques and appropriate record-keeping. Routine Monitoring: The most important resource for ensur- ing the smooth running of a mini-grid is the team of technicians working on the ground: their expertise and understand- ing of the behaviour of plant equipment and customer demand, as well as their capacity to intervene in case of faults, is invaluable. So, while periodic technical audits are important for tracking plant health, the priority for mini-grid develop- ers should be to train, equip, and sup- port local operators in day-to-day moni- toring and maintenance activities. Remote Technical Assessment The tracking of specific technical indi - cators to reveal longer-term trends in the performance of mini-grids is criti- cal. With remote data collection from in- plant sensors and automated analysis on cloud servers, these key indicators give continuous comparative insight into whether a plant is meeting expected performance. The mini-grid sector as a whole has now developed to the point where rou- tine technical audits and monitoring are indispensable for both aging and new- ly-built plants. The root causes of under- performance can in some cases be re- vealed through a single approach alone, but typically insights from all three must be combined to arrive at a complete pic- ture. Once underlying issues have been identified, short- and long-term solutions can be devised; weighing the benefits and costs of these, plant management can optimally allocate their resources in correcting the performance of existing plants and revising the design of new builds Mini-grid technologies continue to ma- ture, and the range and quality of sector specific services continue to improve, making valuable contributions for the development of the sector. Technical audit findings on energy losses at an aging solar mini-grid plant. Expected equipment performance is compared with actual measurements, and with the predicted performance enhancement after implementing the technical audit’s recommendation. 50 energetica INDIA- October_2020