A Case Study of the Performance and Reliability of the Research Floating PV Plant, Santa Marta, Brazil

Floating PV is an emerging portion of the major solar electric power market in Brazil, with some emphasis on because of access to the existing hydroelectric reservoirs. This paper evaluates an FPV plant with an installed power of 1.2 MWp, on the Santa Marta CEMIG reservoir (-16.45°, -42.89°), Minas Gerais, Brazil. This is an FPV research system and has been connected to the local energy distributor's electrical system and monitored since March 2022. This FPV R&D case study specifically couples a research plan to monitor and identify any degradation process related to this type of application and installation under the semi-arid climate and varying conditions of the aquatic biome. The initial results have identified significant PID in the deployed PERC modules operating on the FPV installation. Drone IR mapping images showing thermal anomalies followed by thermographic and electroluminescence measurements on identified modules confirmed the levels of panel degradation. The conditions leading to potential induced degradation and temperature anomalies associated with the installation are analyzed and reported.