The transformation of the energy system is an ongoing process in recent decades, and renewable energies play an essential role. The production of green electricity is constantly increasing worldwide, and the companies that will own such portfolios of produced energy will become the pillars of a future neutral from the point of view of CO2 emissions. These solutions will accelerate the transformation of energy systems into more efficient and affordable electricity production, combined with efficiency measures and the realization of smart and grid-connected systems, are the prerequisites for a sustainable future.

The result will be a society where energy from renewable resources is available in sufficient quantities and at an affordable price that intelligently connects, automates and electrifies all sectors.

A significant part of the electricity that will be generated for this purpose will be provided by the abundance of solar energy, through large-scale, industrial-standard and intelligently managed solar parks.

The investment in a solar park is quite large, taking into account the resources and the large area of ​​land that must be allocated, but the amortization is done over time and by choosing affordable solutions that reduce maintenance costs.

The increasing profitability of solar systems is also closely related to the decreasing costs of modules and systems. However, the heavily price-focused industry can no longer drive down costs in this segment. Engineers are therefore putting their creativity into finding intelligent hardware and software solutions for plant control and monitoring. One of these is the integrated management of photovoltaic parks from Phoenix Contact, a management system for large solar parks.

Developers and operators are making extensive efforts to get solar parks up and running. After all, minimizing these efforts will provide savings that can significantly improve a park’s bottom line. Our solution roughly halves the execution and grid connection period of a solar park.

In the past, park components had to be read and connected individually, but by adding an auto-detection mode, a Plug-and-Play connection, the programmed data logger does the configuration itself, as it recognizes connected devices by Modbus address. Huge time savings can thus be recorded.

Typically, about 20% of a park’s software was pre-programmed, but Phoenix Contact engineers have achieved pre-programming performance of up to 80% through function blocks and basic applications using the SunSpec® protocol.

Another advantage of the integrated management of the photovoltaic park is the use of PLCnext technology, a flexible system with open control that can easily integrate the appropriate communication standards. It usually takes a long time to design a new network strategy for data acquisition or to prepare control tasks for new systems. In comparison, the integrated PV park solution developed by Phoenix Contact is laid out so that 90% of the existing planning can be easily transferred to new solar projects.

The system fulfills the highest expectations in terms of solar park monitoring and commissioning. It provides the highest degree of standardization without sacrificing the flexibility we offer our customers in terms of network connection and project-specific plant control.

Conventional monitoring systems tend to display PV plant alarms without prioritizing them. As a result, service personnel are often called out unnecessarily and at unnecessary costs. That is why it is especially important to measure the processes in the system as accurately as possible and to be able to draw accurate conclusions from the information and values ​​obtained. The software solution must be comprehensive and clear enough to be able to easily manage the maximum workload, so that the operation and maintenance of the PV plants take place in optimal conditions, reducing the operating costs by more than 40%.

The integrated management of photovoltaic parks from Phoenix Contact offers the solution for maximum yield and the greatest possible security. This is achieved through an integrated concept from data communication to feed-in management all the way to visualization. For solar park operators and investors, intelligent automation and comprehensive visualization tools open up significant economic advantages. For the significant role that large solar farms play in transforming the global energy system, an integrated system like Phoenix Contact’s is the missing piece of the puzzle.