Video: Innovations in the solar technician tool belt with Fluke
I-V curve tracers, irradiance meters, clamp meters, thermal imagers … the list of tools for solar pros is long and complex. On this episode of The Pitch, Will White, Solar Applications Specialist at Fluke, explained the importance of each tool, as well as recent innovations in I-V curve tracers for 1,000 V and 1,500 V applications.
Watch the full 13-min chat above. Below is an overview of each solar tech tool, what differentiates each tool, and some features unique to Fluke’s tools in particular. Timestamps will go directly that section of the video.
- 0:21 – PVA 1500 Series I-V Curve Tracer
- 2:43 – SMFT-1000 Multifunction PV Tester Performance Analyzer
- 4:43 – Ease-of-use features for new solar technicians
- 5:58 – IRR2-BT Solar Irradiance meter
- 7:01 – Solar clamp meters: what to look for
- 8:00 – Infrared cameras for thermal imaging
- 9:21 – Are handheld tools still important with remote monitoring and drones?
- 10:28 – Connecting diagnostic PV tools & sharing data
IV Curve Tracers
The PVA 1500 Series I-V Curve Tracer (0:21) is Fluke’s newest product, launched this year after acquiring Solmetric last year, which specializes in higher voltage tools. … What stands out about the PVA 1500?
White: Users who are familiar with the Solmetric product, basically everything is the same from their point of view other than the aesthetics. We did make some subtle changes to the electronics in the PVA 1500 HE. It absorbs a higher inrush current than the previous design. It’s a problem that’s not talked about a lot in I-V curve testing, but high efficiency modules have a high capacitance. When the I-V curve test starts, there’s a large inrush current to the tool. Some tools like the SMFT 1000 will see that inrush current as an overload, and they’ll stop the test to prevent damage to the unit. The PVA 1500 T model will test up to 30 amps up to 19% efficiency. Above that the current rating drops down to 10 amps. That’s so it doesn’t overload and overheat the tool.
The PVA 1500 HE is specifically designed for high efficiency modules. That’s a big differentiator in the market. It can test any efficiency module up to the full 30 amp rating. That’s where it really shines compared to a lot of other tools.
The SMFT 1000 Multi-Function PV Tester Performance Analyzer (2:43) also does I-V curve tracing. Besides that voltage range, what is the SMFT doing that the PVA 1500 isn’t doing?
The SMFT is really good for rooftop residential, commercial & Industrial systems at 1000 volts and less. It’s significantly smaller than the PVA products because of the way it does I-V curve testing, so it’s easy to bring up on rooftop systems whereas the PVA is significantly bigger.
It will do every test required by the IEC 6244 6-1 standard. That’s a standard that’s used in a lot of European countries. It’s a legal requirement where they have to test to that standard and report out. The SMFT 1000 has a visual inspection checklist that follows about 60 different points that have to be visually inspected. It’s a simple pass / fail. Save it to the tool. Report it out later so you don’t have to hand write lists.
- It will do insulation resistance testing,
- It will measure bonding — making sure our metal parts are electrically connected together like module frames, racking, ground rods.
- It will do the IV curve testing,
- It will test voltage, polarity, short circuit current.
- It will measure power, so you can measure DC power, AC power.
- It will calculate inverter efficiency.
- It’ll do the I-V curve testing up to 1,000 volts and 20 amps.
- We’ll also test bypass diodes, blocking diodes, surge protection devices.
- And then it has an auto test feature where it will run through all the tests automatically with one push of the button.
The PVA products only do I-V curve tracing. When you get to that higher voltage, you’re going to need high voltage Category 3 rated equipment. So you’ll have multimeters, clamp meters, insulation resistance testers rated for that higher voltage — more than what the SMFT can do.
Are there features that make things easier for a novice or to train someone, while also avoiding errors that come with a less expertly trained worker? (4:43)
White: That’s absolutely the case. When I started in solar in 2005, the operations and maintenance technicians were typically the most experienced installers and electricians moved into service. Now the demand is so high for those roles that they’re hiring people who are coming from fast food service and are just getting into solar.
When we designed the SMFT 1000, we intentionally made it easy to use for new technicians. The SMFT 1000 has a dial on it, and that’s how you select the test you’re doing. Anywhere you go on that dial, if you push the info button, a diagram comes up that graphically shows you exactly how to set the tool up. It is intuitive to use, and we’re working that into all of our new products.
Irradiance Meters
Moving down the tool belt we have the IRR2-BT Solar Irradiance meter. What differentiates a solar irradiance meter? (5:58)
Most irradiance meters are used either for very quick spot checks or they’re used in conjunction with an I-V Curve Tracer to measure the environmental conditions during the I-V Curve Trace. The IRR2 can be used individually, so you can use it to measure irradiance, temperature, tilt angle, and it will also measure magnetic orientation. It pairs also with the SMF 1000 via Bluetooth connection. The PVA products have the sol sensor which measures irradiance, temperature, and tilt angle, and that Wi-Fi connects.
The real big difference between those two models is that the IRR2 can do magnetic orientation. It will also data log if it loses connection to the SMFT 1000 and continue to log the environmental conditions. When it reconnects, it will correlate the data log with the time stamp on the test.
Clamp Meters
Key points of differentiation among clamp meters? (7:01)
White: With clamp meters and multimeters and really all test tools, the category and voltage rating is key. The solar array is considered a Category 3 environment. When we’re working on the AC side of the system close to the point of interconnection or between the inverter and a transformer in a utility scale system, that’s considered a Category 4 environment. That has to do with the risk of transient voltage surges coming from the utility or from the source of power.
When you’re looking at clamp meters, multimeters you need to have a Category 3 rating with a voltage higher than whatever you’re testing on, typically 600, 1,000 or 1500 volts. On the AC side you’re looking for a category 4 test tool with the voltage higher than you’re at. We have the 393 clamp meter. We specifically designed it for the solar industry. It’s category 3, 1500 volt rated, Category 4, 600 volt rated.
Infrared cameras
What to know about infrared cameras and thermal imaging (8:00)
White: Thermal imaging is such a great test in the solar industry. You’re able to very quickly identify things that would take much longer to find using other test tools. The real big differentiator in thermal cameras is the resolution of the image. As you go higher up in the model range, the resolution gets better. That means you can be further away from the equipment and still get a good quality image that’s going to give you the information you need, which subsequently means you can be outside the electrical hazard zone and still be getting good pictures. When you get into the higher end cameras, some of them have swappable lenses as well (telephoto or wide angle lenses).
Can infrared cameras do PV cable thermal imaging too?
White: Absolutely. That’s a really good use case for finding arc faults. A lot of times we have issues with module interconnections, where either there is dirt in the connector, or they didn’t plug it in all the way, or there was a poorly made connection in the field. So, you get a high resistance connection there that’s arcing inside the connector. It’s very hard to see those until you get a catastrophic failure. The thermal imaging camera can pick those out assuming that the arcing is creating some heat there.
Final thoughts on solar tools
In the age of remote monitoring and AI analytics and drones, are all these onsite handheld diagnostic tools still important? (9:21)
White: Absolutely. Aerial thermography is amazing for what it will give you quickly. And these utility scale projects are huge. I was on a 1.3 GW system in California that was 26 square miles. You’re not walking around that with a thermal camera looking for problems. Flying a drone over the array allows you to see where there are issues. Sometimes it can tell you what the source of the problem is, but most of the time it’s just telling you there’s a problem.
You still need the technician, with the handheld tools, to go to that location and do some root cause analysis and figure out what’s actually causing the problem. Even though AI and drones and things like that are absolutely going to save us time, we still need the technician in the field to do the final diagnosis and the repair work.
Seems like there is value in sourcing all these tools from Fluke because of how they connect to one another and the cloud. What are some ways for solar technicians or O&M teams to take advantage of that interconnectivity?
White: With the acquisition of Solmetric, there is essentially no test in the solar industry that Fluke does not have a solution for. The benefit is you’ve got one source of tools. On the software side, we’re developing software that will eventually connect together. That’s the hope, so that you’ll have one source of truth. Right now, we’re working on upgrading software, adding new features to make it much easier for technicians in the field, so they don’t have to take measurements, write it down by hand, transpose it to a digital format. It just goes to digital.
We hear from our customers that they’re spending 20% to 40% of their day in the office just transposing data. That’s not good for anyone. That’s a huge waste of time. I’ve even heard customers say they’re getting information from their O&M contractors, and they’re literally scribbling the date out on the sheet of numbers and just putting a new date on and resubmitting it. Obviously, that’s not a good best practice. Having the ability to take the data, put it in a digital format, immediately right from the measurement and get it out into whatever format they need it in, that’s the direction that that we’re trying to go.
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