Perspectives on Solar PV project commissioning procedures: International comparisons, improvements and lessons learnt from solar PV plants in South Africa and the United Kingdom

Abstract

With the first round of renewable energy projects in South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPPP) reaching commercial operation, this paper aims to provide insight into what was learnt from the commissioning processes and what can be improved for the next REIPPPP rounds. We outline and compare the commissioning processes for a solar PV plant in South Africa to existing solar PV plants in the UK with regards to weather instrumentation, thermal imagery testing, performance ratio testing, contracted capacity vs. achieved capacity, and grid interface.  Suggestions are made to improve the current commissioning procedures in South Africa looking towards the commissioning of future projects under the REIPPPP rounds.