Monitoring the secrets of PV Success in Chile | PV Insider

Monitoring the secrets of PV Success in Chile

By Bea Gonzalez on Oct 1, 2013

PV Insider talks exclusively to Freddy Canizales, Technical Director of Solar Business at Skytron Energy about their impressions of the keys to successful monitoring systems for solar plants in Chile.

Why is Monitoring so important in Chile? 
With so few systems installed it is important to prove the viability of solar in Chile. This viability includes performance of the system, the individual components and the ability of the plant operator to provide maximum uptime and generation of the plant to deliver or even exceed the anticipated return on investment.
 
What do you think will make a company successful in Chile?
We have been in the monitoring and controls business since 1977 and have gathered a huge amount of experience in solar and other technologies which has helped us to continually refine and adapt our models and product for different markets. We currently have monitoring systems installed in several continents. The system is very adaptable from string monitoring to control room presentation, whilst also providing a complete O&M solution.
 The key lesson is that every single market is different and the way companies operate needs to make it as easy as possible to do business and supply their product. Whilst PV technology is now mature enough to be well understood and straightforward, all stakeholders need to coordinate so that components are matched. Chile is the first big market for PV in the region and consequently our business model has to adapt to ensure our customers get the same level of support and service if they were in Europe.
We focus heavily on technical support with potential customers at the pre-sales stage to ensure that the monitoring system will integrate with the key components of the plant., and make data acquisition and monitoring smoother and reliable.
Firstly, taking experience from countries like Spain is essential. We continually explain to customers the role monitoring can play in helping them identify marginal and major performance issues so that they can take the relevant action as soon as is necessary. We install alarm systems for key plant variables to ensure that technicians will be able to take action as soon as, or even before an inssue arises to prevent down time. The preventative measures are key in a place like Chile where plants are more remote, and there are fewer qualified solar engineers.
For us, having a local partner is essential. Whilst Skytron has a sales office in Chile, it works with a local partner for the technical support and service. This is essential to enable a quick response to anything the monitoring system detects.
From a technical perspective, companies need to attain the highest international standards possible. Even though there are currently no concrete grid standards in place in the country, adhering to the most stringent standards such as the BDEW will mean companies are ready to meet whatever demands are set by the Chilean authorities.
Furthermore any plant needs spare components such as panels, cabling etc on site so technical difficulties can be addressed as soon as possible.
 
What has been your lasting impression of the PV Insider LATAM event?
For me I was surprised at how open and friendly everyone has been. We’ve had some great debates with people exchanging honest views and information, knowing they are in the company of their peers, all committed to developing an exciting and profitable market for PV. The quality of debates has been high and it was good to focus specifically on PV.
I learnt a lot from the event, especially about. As a technical person, I found that I learnt a lot in the finance panel as that dug down into more in-depth answers on deal structure on financing, which is useful for us to know about. We also like to know about how financiers evaluate risk. After all, if projects do not have effective monitoring systems built in, then financiers will be less sure of the owners/developers ability to continue to produce power at the projections yielded, if they are unable to notice problems.
 
For more information please contact Skytron Energy on: