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Novasense Portal Documentation

website·Indexed 32 days ago

https://docs.novasense.ch

Documentation for the Novasense Portal, featuring guides on solar plant onboarding, KPI calculations like Performance Ratio (PR) and Energy Performance Index (EPI), and data source configurations for SolarEdge, Huawei FusionSolar, SMA, Fronius, Sungrow, and Solar-Log.

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What's inside Novasense

  1. Optimize maintenance with the Operations Overview loss analysis

    The Operations Overview provides intelligent loss selection and categorization to help maintenance teams pinpoint the most impactful issues affecting energy and financial performance. This tool is designed to accelerate root-cause analysis and improve maintenance planning to increase asset availability.

  2. Verify solar system configuration with Layout Check

    Use the Layout Check tool to instantly verify a photovoltaic system's configuration. This diagnostic tool identifies inconsistencies between the original design plans and the actual physical system setup to ensure the installation is not underperforming due to wiring, orientation, or inverter misconfiguration.

  3. Utilize short-term solar production forecasts for energy trading and grid management

    Short-term solar production forecasts are available at both the individual asset level and portfolio scale. These forecasts are used to mitigate risks associated with negative electricity prices in the European power mix, allowing operators and traders to make data-driven decisions regarding self-consumption, energy storage, or production curtailment to protect revenues.

  4. Understand theoretical power modeling in Novasense Portal

    The Novasense Portal uses theoretical power as a basis for performance analysis, representing the calculated output of a solar plant based on weather and technical characteristics. Two modeling approaches are used:

    1. Physics-based model: A detailed simulation (the most widely used method).
    2. Machine-learning model: Based on the actual historical production of each inverter.

  5. Monitor PV system thermal performance with Novasense

    Novasense provides real-time monitoring from the power plant level down to individual inverters and MPPTs to detect and respond to heat-related issues. Key capabilities include:

    • Real-time detection of inverter and MPPT anomalies.
    • Visibility into temperature-related performance degradation.
    • Data-driven tools for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) and asset optimization.

  6. Generate solar performance reports with Automatic Reporting

    Use the Automatic Reporting tool to generate automated performance reports. This provides visibility into system health and production trends for single sites or entire portfolios, reducing the manual effort required for asset management.

  7. Understand Boosterless Inverter functionality and trade-offs

    A standard solar inverter typically includes a 'booster' (a DC-to-DC converter) that increases the input DC voltage before it is converted to AC. This allows the inverter to operate across a wide input voltage range (e.g., 250V - 800V).

    A boosterless inverter removes this stage. While this results in higher efficiency and lower costs, it significantly reduces sizing flexibility because the inverter can only generate an AC voltage if the DC input voltage is sufficiently higher than the peak of the AC output wave.

  8. Quantify solar power losses from active power regulation

    Novasense provides a mechanism to calculate unused solar power caused by active power regulation (power limitation) imposed by grid operators. The system integrates control commands with theoretical power calculations to classify anomalies and quantify energy losses.

    Losses are calculated for each 15-minute bucket and are available as time series in the portal or as aggregated total monthly energy losses in monthly reports under the Power Control alarm category. Short durations (under 15 minutes) are handled via an interpolation mechanism within the 15-minute buckets.

  9. Connect Huawei FusionSolar API to the Novasense Portal

    To complete the integration, contact Novasense support and provide the following details:

    • API Username: The northbound username created in the FusionSolar portal.
    • API Password: The corresponding password.
    • Plant names: The specific plants to be integrated.

    Security Warning: Do not send credentials in clear text via email. Use a secure method such as Infomaniak kPaste to transfer security-related information.

  10. Anomaly detection time and limitations by plant configuration

    The detection time for various anomalies varies based on the plant's configuration. For plants meeting all ideal requirements, detection times are: MPPT/Inverter outage (1 hour), Grid outage (1 hour), Single string failure (1 day), Single module failure (up to 1 week), Snow coverage (1 day), Power limitation (1 day), and Power Control (15 min). Vegetation shading and strong soiling are reported monthly via PR.

    Key limitations for non-ideal configurations include:

    • Single MPPT for all strings in a field: Single string failure detection increases to up to 1 week.
    • 3-5 strings in parallel (single measurement): Single string failure detection increases to up to 1 week; single module failure is not guaranteed.
    • >5 strings in parallel (single measurement): Single string failure is not guaranteed; single module failure is not available.
    • Module optimizers: Single string failure is not guaranteed; single module failure and power limitation are not available.
    • Missing AC voltage/frequency: Grid outages are detected as inverter outages.
    • Local shading/Missing training data/Vegetation during training: Single module failure and power limitation are not guaranteed.
    • Missing power control data: Power control anomalies are not available.

  11. Configure Sungrow Data Logger for SFTP data push

    To enable data uploads from a Sungrow Data Logger (models COM100, Logger1000, Logger3000, or Logger4000) to a third-party portal like Novasense, follow these steps:

    1. Access the Interface: Log into the logger's local web interface using admin credentials. Default IPs are typically 12.12.12.12 (Ethernet) or 11.11.11.1 (Wi-Fi).
    2. Navigate to Settings: Go to System > Transfer Configuration (or Forwarding Configuration).
    3. Enable Portal: Click on "Third-party Portal" and toggle the FTP/SFTP switch to active.
    4. Configure Advanced Settings: Click the settings icon for "Advanced Settings" and enter the following:
      • Protocol type: SFTP
      • FTP Server, Port, Username, Password, and FTP Path: Use the specific credentials provided by Novasense Support.
      • Configure Cycle: Set Sampling to 5 minutes and Transfer cycles to 15 minutes.
    5. Verify Connection: Check the "Run Information" section to confirm that uploads are successful.

    Important: Ensure the logger's date and time settings are correct, including the proper time zone and daylight saving time. It is recommended to synchronize the date and time via an NTP server if supported.

  12. Configure the Huawei FusionSolar Portal for Northbound API access

    To enable API integration with Novasense, you must create a dedicated Northbound API user with the following steps:

    1. Create User: Log in as a company administrator and navigate to System > Company Management > Northbound Management, then click Add.
    2. Configure Settings:
      • Username: Create a unique username (must be different from your regular account).
      • Password: Set a secure password.
      • Associated User: Select the company administrator user.
      • Deadline: Set an expiration date (recommended to be far in the future).
      • Basic APIs: Enable this toggle to activate functionality.
    3. Set Permissions: Grant access either by selecting the entire company (all current and future plants) or by selecting specific individual plants.