Earlier this year we got together with Enertis Solar, an independent company specialising in technical assessment and engineering services for solar PV. We wanted Enertis to take a good look at our new community-owned systems at Shed 10 in Shoreham Port – one of five BEC’s projects that have been installed since 2012. Shed10 project is our biggest solar PV plant currently in operation.
Enertis are fast developing a reputation for solar PV analysis in the UK. They recently were contracted by the UK’s biggest solar developer – Lightsource – to use electroluminescence and thermal imaging testing to test Lightsource’s panels at 5MW plant in Cornwall. Enertis use a cutting-edge Quality Control Testing Laboratory for the analysis of PV modules and is accredited by the Spanish Entidad Nacional de Acreditación (ENAC) with accreditation No. 811/LE 1661 according to the criteria defined in standard UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
The main purpose of the works developed by Enertis Solar for BEC was to conduct a resource study, and an energy production comparison. We provided Enertis with the energy produced from our first four months of operation and compared it with their own estimation. Additionally, the main technical aspects of this comparison study took into account the equipment and the engineering design of the plant.
To accurately carry out these works, Enertis analysed the technical aspects of the plant. Among other, Enertis Solar has evaluated the suitability of the modules and inverters, the electrical design as well as the selected project’s location and the plant’s layout. Enertis also evaluated whether the plant complies with the British Standards requirements for electrical installations in the United Kingdom.
As a conclusion, Enertis Solar considers that the Shed10 project has been well designed, and the equipment adequately selected. Additionally, Enertis Solar confirms that the project complies with the requirements of the British Standards. Finally, based on Enertis Solar’s methodology and estimations, the plant is performing adequately and over-producing.
