| Work Detail |
The 230 MW Diego de Almagro Sur photovoltaic plant is one of the largest in Chile. Enertis Applus+ has inspected 3,850 bifacial technology modules in order to check their condition and guarantee their optimal operation.
Enertis Applus+, a global consulting, engineering and quality control firm in the renewable energy and storage solutions sector, has provided technical inspection services to the company Colbún for its photovoltaic solar plant Diego de Almagro Sur, in Chile, with a power of 230 MW, one of the five largest in the country. The plant, located in the Atacama region, one of the areas with the highest levels of solar radiation in the world, is located on a 330-hectare site and has an average annual generation capacity of 648 GWh of electrical energy, equivalent to the consumption of 110,000 homes.
In July 2021, Applus+, an inspection, testing and certification group announced the purchase of the Spanish engineering company Enertis from the founding owners.
During the module testing service , an Enertis Applus+ technician was present at the plant, carrying out visual inspection and electroluminescence tests both upon arrival of the photovoltaic modules at the plant and after their installation, to verify the integrity of the modules. The objective of this type of test is to verify that the modules are in correct condition after transport from the factory, handling and installation in the plant to safeguard their functionality during the useful life of the project. In total, 3,850 bifacial technology modules were inspected.
In addition, the firm has solutions such as massive electroluminescence and thermography, diurnal electroluminescence, IV curve for bifacial panels, machine learning techniques and artificial intelligence for the analysis of the data collected, etc.
Enertis Applus+ also has the PV Mobile Laboratory (PVML), a mobile unit designed to carry out quality control of photovoltaic modules at the installation site. To date, this mobile laboratory has worked on 39 projects in Mexico, Central America and South America, analyzing more than 5 GW of power in photovoltaic modules. Launched in 2012, the PVML is available in Chile, North America and Europe, has an industrial patent and makes it possible to provide advanced services in line with international standards, such as tests to determine maximum power under standard measurement conditions, electroluminescence, electrical insulation and thermographic inspections.
As Ignacio Fernández, the companys Head of Testing, points out: "Enertis Applus+ has been present in South America since 2012, where it has accumulated experience in technical inspection services for around 200 photovoltaic projects, totaling approximately 12 GW of power" .
Diego de Almagro Sur forms part of Colbúns portfolio of renewable projects in an advanced stage of development for nearly 1,800 MW . Additionally, the company continues to advance an earlier stage project portfolio for an additional 1,000 MW. |
