Photovoltaic power generation operation and maintenance management includes:
Production operation and maintenance management (integrated operation and maintenance management), safety management, quality management, power marketing management, materials management, and information management. Production operation and maintenance management is the core of the production field, while other management methods support production operation and maintenance management.
This article will introduce the operation and maintenance management of photovoltaic power plants in three stages: pre-operation, grid-connected trial operation, and post-grid connection.
I. Preparatory work before operation
1. Staffing and intervention time of maintenance personnel
The staffing for photovoltaic power plant operation and maintenance (O&M) is generally 1.2 to 1.5 O&M personnel per 10MW of power plant capacity, with a minimum of 4 personnel, operating on a two-shift system. A power plant is typically staffed with a station manager, a deputy station manager, 2-4 shift leaders, an electrical specialist, and general O&M personnel. All personnel must possess a special operations certificate (high-voltage electrician) and an O&M certificate issued by the dispatch center.
The optimal time for maintenance (O&M) personnel to get involved is during the electrical commissioning phase of the power plant's construction. At this time, O&M personnel can participate in the commissioning of various electrical equipment alongside engineers from the manufacturer and commissioning unit, familiarizing themselves with the configuration of the power plant's electrical equipment and gaining a clearer understanding of its structure. They can also assess the quality of equipment materials and installation. Especially important is the commissioning of the monitoring system. During this period, O&M personnel should communicate frequently with the manufacturer regarding the details of the monitoring system's production to facilitate future use. They should also promptly request the commissioning unit or label the communication lines within the power plant themselves to facilitate future equipment maintenance. This involvement during commissioning ensures that they have a thorough understanding of the system and can handle O&M work effectively after the power plant is put into operation.
2. Develop and maintain operational procedures.
Photovoltaic power plants must establish and improve their operation and management systems, including but not limited to photovoltaic power plant operation and maintenance procedures, work permit system, operation permit system, operation supervision system, tool and equipment management system, operation duty system, shift handover system, patrol inspection system, equipment maintenance and repair system, defect management system, operation analysis system, skills training system, spare parts and warehouse management system, etc.
3. Prepare power plant materials
Before a power plant is put into operation, it is necessary to purchase the materials required for operation, which generally include safety tools, common tools, instruments and meters, personal protective equipment, safety facilities, emergency and rescue supplies, office supplies, maintenance vehicles, as well as product information and spare parts transferred from the construction period.
At the same time, we must do a good job in managing material ledgers. Detailed records must be kept for all material issuance and receipt, and the history must be traceable.
4. Organize and compile power plant operation data
Before a photovoltaic power station is connected to the grid, the operation and maintenance personnel must obtain and retain the relevant documents to be transferred from the construction party (including but not limited to, access system design review, electrical equipment product information, construction drawings, as-built drawings, completion reports, equipment contracts, construction contracts, etc.).
II. Grid Connection and Trial Operation
1. Establish a grid connection acceptance team
A grid connection team should be established to be responsible for pre-grid connection project acceptance, equipment operation training, dispatch training, data collection, and preparation of grid connection plans and grid connection start-up schemes. A dedicated person should be assigned to liaise with dispatch and be responsible for communicating with the power grid company on pre-grid connection matters.
2. On-site grid connection work
Perform the operation orders issued by the dispatcher according to the agreed time and contact schedule, and report the operation status to the dispatcher one by one. After the substation equipment is connected to the grid, check that all equipment is operating normally before energizing the photovoltaic area. The main tasks include the impact test of the transformer substation and the closing of the inverter. During the trial operation after the power station is connected to the grid, assign dedicated personnel to check the operation of the connected equipment, pay attention to the background electrical data, and the operating status of the primary equipment. If any abnormality is found, report to the dispatcher immediately and request the disconnection of the abnormal equipment. Reconnect to the grid only after the equipment has been repaired.
III. Post-Grid Connection Related Work
After grid connection, the power plant officially enters the operation and maintenance phase, at which point the power plant becomes the battlefield for operation and maintenance personnel. Post-grid connection operation and maintenance management is the core work of the power plant.
1. Production Operation and Maintenance Management
Two-ticket management: The two-ticket system is integrated into all aspects of power plant operation. Strictly implementing the two-ticket management system can effectively prevent misoperation and plays a vital role in safety risk control and maintenance quality control.
Inspection Management: Develop and implement inspection plans and routes, conduct inspections once daily, and record findings in the operation log. Analyze and address any abnormalities or defects promptly. The inspection scope should be rationally planned; for large power plants, the inspection scope should be rationally arranged based on monitoring system data and fault information, ensuring targeted inspections.
Shift handover management: The power plant shift team should conduct a comprehensive handover of information such as power plant information, dispatch plan, spare parts usage, tool borrowing, key usage, and abnormal situations to ensure that the incoming shift team has complete information about the power plant.
Power generation reporting management: The power plant operator should record power generation information daily and summarize it into a power generation report. Any abnormal power generation should be reported promptly for analysis of the cause. Additionally, monthly power generation should be compared with the settled power generation.
Maintenance Management: All maintenance work must comply with the power plant maintenance system to ensure the orderly and safe conduct of maintenance work. Maintenance management includes the repair and preventative testing of existing faulty equipment.
Production insurance and claims management: In order to ensure the normal operation of the power plant and reduce power loss or business interruption caused by various factors, it is recommended that the power plant purchase production-related insurance, mainly including business interruption insurance, disaster insurance, and equipment quality insurance.
Document management includes document system construction (document coding system, document classification system, document hierarchical system, etc.), design document management, completion report management, commissioning report management, contract document management, drawing management, daily production data management, technical transformation document management, overhaul document management, equipment manuals and certificates of conformity, electronic document record management, document system management, and document destruction process management.
2. Safety Management
Safety is the lifeblood of industrial production, and every manufacturing enterprise prioritizes it. Photovoltaic power plants must establish and improve their safety management organization, supervision, and assessment systems. They must develop safety management regulations and emergency response plans. They must be equipped with complete safety tools and fire-fighting equipment. Regular safety training and drills must be conducted. Appropriate safety signs must be produced, installed, and displayed.
3. Quality Management
The quality management of photovoltaic power plants is mainly divided into two stages: the production preparation stage and the operation stage. The production preparation stage includes the establishment of the power plant's quality system, project acceptance and handover, production preparation activities, and material and data management; the operation stage includes operation management, maintenance management, equipment and material procurement management, personnel training management, and technical transformation management. The quality of quality management directly determines the health of the power plant; a well-functioning photovoltaic power plant requires comprehensive quality management.
4. Electricity Marketing Management
Electricity marketing management involves both power generation management and marketing management. Power generation management includes the preparation of power generation plans, analysis of deviations between actual power generation and planned power generation, performance evaluation and incentive systems for power generation, and improvement of power generation efficiency. Marketing management mainly refers to participating in grid power trading, formulating power generation plans according to trading rules, developing reasonable maintenance plans, and formulating reasonable power generation strategies in the event of power rationing.
Electricity marketing management is a constantly evolving process, guided by market policies. It adapts power plant output to market demand, and its results directly impact the operating conditions and revenue of power generation companies. In electricity marketing, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of one's own power plant's output and to actively communicate with the power grid marketing department to understand new policies. Management methods should be adapted to the latest market dynamics to both increase revenue and reduce costs.
5. Materials Management
Materials management involves four aspects: procurement settlement, goods receipt and inspection, warehousing and outbound operations, and storage. Procurement management manages suppliers, demand plans, procurement plans, procurement strategies, purchase orders, and procurement payments, as well as the core business processes related to the entire procurement process. Goods receipt and inspection confirms that the delivered equipment and materials match the purchase order, identifying any errors, omissions, damages, or model discrepancies. Equipment and materials that fail inspection are not accepted. For equipment and materials that pass inspection, they directly enter the warehousing and outbound stage, where various inventory operations such as receiving, issuing, returning, transferring, adjusting inventory, and counting are efficiently processed. Storage management includes facility inventory management, facility maintenance and upkeep, facility replacement management, periodic facility testing, and facility inspection record management.
6. Information Management
Photovoltaic power plants generate a large amount of information during the production and operation phase. Reliable management of these production information systems will directly affect the power plant operation and maintenance team and the group company's management of the power plant. Information management includes the construction of a data management system (design documents, engineering construction documents, contract documents, drawings, daily production data, technical transformation, scheduled inspection documents, equipment manuals, certificates of conformity, electronic document record management, document system management, document destruction process management, etc.) and the maintenance and upgrade management of information equipment software and hardware.
Establish a comprehensive data management system, utilizing information equipment systems to electronically manage relevant documents and assets of the power plant, and implement KKS coding management. By leveraging a modern computer information system platform to digitize and informatize each stage of the operation and maintenance process, repetitive work, lack of records, and data gaps can be significantly reduced, thereby comprehensively improving work efficiency.
summary
While photovoltaic power plant technology has reached a high level of sophistication and maturity in the construction phase, its operation and maintenance (O&M) phase is still evolving. Effective O&M of photovoltaic power plants involves more than just training and utilizing technical personnel; the crucial aspect is the comprehensive management of the entire O&M process.
While photovoltaic power plant operation and maintenance (O&M) ultimately boils down to equipment maintenance—ensuring the equipment operates normally and efficiently naturally increases power generation—effective management at every stage is crucial for improving O&M efficiency, reducing costs, and truly achieving cost savings and maximum efficiency.
