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The ‘Alpsolar’ Project—Field testing and optimization of European photovoltaic power plant equipment at high‐elevation and nordic sites
Author(s) -
Nentwich A.,
Szeless A.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.4670010108
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , power station , elevation (ballistics) , electricity , grid , field (mathematics) , inverter , task (project management) , environmental science , engineering , reliability engineering , systems engineering , automotive engineering , electrical engineering , geography , mathematics , structural engineering , geodesy , voltage , pure mathematics
The ‘Alpsolar’ Project, which forms part of the international European ‘Eureka’ programme, is a cooperative venture between three electrical power utilities based in Austria, Finland and Germany. Its main task is the field testing and optimization of remote‐controlled, grid‐connected, photovoltaic (PV) power plants at high‐elevation and nordic sites, with the aim of bringing such plants to commercial viability. This paper describes the background, overall deisgn and operation of the three plants, and reports initial operating experience over 1‐3‐year periods in the areas of solar module, inverter and plant efficiencies; plant availability and electricity yield; monitoring and control; maintenance and repair; and economics.