Why is energy availability important in assessing PV systems?

Both energy and availability are necessary metrics for assessing PV systems. If the stakeholders involved in a contract are most interested in energy production, and if the contract holds parties responsible for energy production, then it is crucial that energy losses associated with unavailability and system performance are accounted for.

Are solar photovoltaic technologies a viable solution to the SDGs?

Objective Solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies can reduce the neg-ative impacts associated with energy generation while increasing the reliability of power supply and supporting the achievement of the SDGs. However, safety, quality and sustainability challenges constitute barriers to the development of PV energy.

Do installation faults affect the performance of a PV power plant?

Installation faults, already mentioned in the previous section, also have a severe impact on the quality of the overall PV system. Even if high quality components are used, the performance of a PV power plant will be low if installation is performed by unqualified personnel.

Why should you track energy availability in a PV operation contract?

Tracking this availability (or unavailability) provides transparency into the equipment reliability state to all parties involved in an O&M services contract. In most PV operation contracts, energy will be the driving factor of whether the system is operating as expected.

How can quality infrastructure contribute to the development of PV energy?

Safety, quality and sustainability challenges constitute barriers to the development of PV energy. This study de-scribes how quality infrastructure (QI) 1, which includes standardization, metrology, testing, certification, inspec-tion and accreditation, can contribute to overcoming these challenges.

Why do PV systems need international standards?

As mentioned above, international standards are the backbone of quality assurance in PV systems. For the selection of components, compliance with international standards ensures that basic quality and safety require-ments are fulfilled.