en.Wedoany.com Reported - Ingeteam has assisted in completing the first inverter-powered electroluminescence (EL) inspection of solar cells in the United States. At Acciona's 458 MW Red-Tailed Hawk solar farm in El Campo, Texas, the project utilized Ingeteam's INGECON SUN 3Power UL C series inverters. A total of 18,125 modules from a preselected section were inspected using the electroluminescence function of three Ingeteam inverters, with each inverter requiring only two hours of inspection time. Quantified Energy (QE) provided specialized cameras, drones, pilot training, and the software needed to perform the inspection and analyze the results.
Electroluminescence is a phenomenon in which a material emits light when an electric current is applied. EL inspection involves injecting current into the modules, causing the photovoltaic cells to emit infrared light, which is captured by a camera and subsequently analyzed. This method allows for the identification of micro-cracks and hidden defects at the cell level, enabling asset owners to assess solar panel quality at a highly detailed level, thereby streamlining warranty and insurance claims processes. This process is used in laboratories and solar panel factories to evaluate module health. Ingeteam has developed its EL function to promote such inspections at large utility-scale farms.
The electroluminescence function is one of the ways Ingeteam differentiates itself by designing innovative technology inverters through R&D investment. By equipping inverters with this function, Ingeteam helps customers reduce the time required for operation and maintenance inspections, as all strings are energized simultaneously without the need for individual string polarization. This solution also offers greater efficiency, as it only requires inverter power consumption without the need for additional power sources (DC and AC). Furthermore, it provides a more reliable and safer option, as operators do not need to handle string box cables.
During the EL inspection at the Red-Tailed Hawk solar farm, Acciona was able to assess the health of the site's solar panels in a precise, efficient, and safe manner. The inspection results provided information that helped optimize the site's performance. Although this was the first inspection conducted in the United States, Ingeteam has already performed such electroluminescence tests globally, reducing the levelized cost of energy for the analyzed assets. This technology has been used to optimize the performance and reliability of solar farms in Spain, Chile, Panama, and Australia. In these projects, some utilizing QE technology, on-site inspections supported by Ingeteam inverters achieved throughputs of up to 40,000 modules per night.
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