PV

Analyzer

™ P

VA-600®

Fast and Accurate Performance Verification•CommissionnewPVarrayswithconfidence•Troubleshootarraysquickly•Demonstratefulfillmentofcontractobligations•Recordanarrayperformancebaseline

Measure a PV string in seconds •Oneelectricalconnection•Onemeasurement•Completeperformanceverification

Expert Tools. Better Solar.Seealloursolutionsatwww.solmetric.com

Key Features•I-Vcurvetracing•Built-inpredictivemodelsforperformanceevaluation

•Irradianceandtemperaturemeasurementoptions

•Wirelessconvenienceandflexibility

•600V,20A

PCnotincluded

I had the great fortune of learning about PV through the eyes of an IV curve tracer. I consider that education a critical part of my success in understanding and troubleshooting how PV systems operate. Now that these devices are so much more affordable, there is no good reason to not get one.

—Bill Brooks

CourtesyChevronEnergySolutions,©2011

Advanced Test Equipment Rentalswww.atecorp.com 800-404-ATEC (2832)

®

Established 1981

Application SetupTestingonestringatatimeatafusedcombinerbox

PVA Sensor Kit (optional accessory)

Fused C

om

biner B

ox

WirelessCommunication

Windows PCRunningPVA Software

I-V Measurement Unit

transmitter

Thermocouple

transmitterSensorIrradiance

(in plane of array)

Irradiance and TemperatureMeasuringtheirradianceandtemperaturealongwiththeI-Vcurveallowsdeeperanalysisofarrayperformance.ThePVA-600providesmultipleoptions.

1. Wireless Sensor KitTheaccessoryWirelessSensorKitautomaticallycapturessensordataatthetimetheI-Vcurveismeasured.Thissavestime,reduceserrors,andimprovesmeasurementaccuracyunderchangingatmosphericconditions.(Irradianceandtemperaturecanalsobeenteredmanually.)

2. “Array-as-sensor” modeInsomeapplicationsitisanadvantagetoautomati-callycalculatetheirradiance,thetemperature,orbothfromthemeasuredI-Vcurve.Thisallowsde-tailedcomparisonofmeasuredandpredictedcurveI-Vcurveshape,evenunderchangingirradianceandtemperature,andrequiresnoexternalsensors.

PV Analyzer User Interface PV Model ChoicesPerformanceevaluationsalwaysrequirecomparisonofmeasuredresultswithareference.Forin-stalledPVarrays,thereferenceisaPVmodel.TheSolmetricPV Analyzercomparesmeasuredandmodeledarrayperformance,takingintoaccounttheexistingirradianceandtemperature.

Threebuilt-inmodelsensurecover-ageofalltypesofPVmodules:

1. Sandia model• Themostcomprehensive

PVmodel• DevelopedbySandia

NationalLaboratories• Basedonmodule

measurementstakeninindependentlaboratories

• Accountsforallperformance-relatedfactorsofaPVmodule

2. Five-parameter model• DevelopedbyU.Wisconsin

SolarEnergyLab• ObtainedfromCECNSHP

program• Basedonindependentlab

measurements• BroaderrangeofcoveredPV

modules

3. Single-point modelThismodelpredictsthemaximumpowervoltageandcurrentattheexistingirradianceandtempera-ture.BasedondatasheetSTCvalues,thismodelcanbeusedwithalmostanyPVmodulewithbasicspecifications.

I-VandP-VcurvesofahealthyPVstring.InverterMPPTvoltagerangeishighlightedingreen.

Settingupbuilt-inPVmodelsforcomparisonwithmeasurementresults.

Displayofmeasuredversuspredictedmaximumpowervalues.

Tabularsummarycomparespredictedandmeasuredresults.“Snapshot”functionallowscomparisonofmultipleresultsasanaidtotroubleshooting.

®

Ordering InformationPVA-600 PV AnalyzerIncludes• I-VMeasurementUnitwithsoft

carryingcase• PVASoftwareforWindows™• WirelessUSBInterface(for

Windowslaptoportablet)• Connectorsaverjumperset(two

shortm-fMC-4jumpers)• MC-4toMC-3adaptorcable

set(contact Solmetric for other connector styles)

• Batterycharger(ACadapter)

Optional AccessoriesWirelessSensorKit:• Irradiancesensorand

wirelesstransmitter• Thermocouples(5)and

wirelesstransmitter• WirelessUSBInterface

(connectstoWindowslaptoportablet)

Computer RequirementsMicrosoftWindows™7(64-bitor32-bit),WindowsVista(32-bitonly),WindowsXPSP3/Processor speed>700MHz /RAM>500MB /Hard Drive Space>100MB/Min. Display resolution1024by600pixels /USB ports2USBportsoroneportusinganexternalUSBexpander

To PurchaseOnlinewww.solmetric.comCallToll-freeinUS:877-263-5026Tel:+1-707-823-4600

General InformationCharacteristic Description

High efficiency PV modules

Solmetric’sI-Vmeasurementtechnologyisspeciallydesignedtoaccuratelymeasurehigh-efficiency,back-contactPVmodulesaswellasstandardmodules.

Measurement range selection

Measurementcircuitryautomaticallyoptimizestobestmea-surethePVmoduleorstring

Control & display unit User-providedWindowscomputer,eg.laptoportablet

PC to measurement unit interface

WirelessUSBadaptor(provided)

Wireless range 10–50metersdependingonlineofsight.

Module/Inverter data On-boarddatabasewiththousandsofPVmodulesandinverters.UpdatesprovidedatSolmetricwebsite.

Inverter limits Maximumpowertrackingrangeofuser-selectedinverterissuperimposedontheI-Vgraphasareferencecheckonthesystemdesign.

Carrying case Measurementunitincludesafactory-installedpaddedsoftcase,withhandle,shoulderstrapandaccessorypouch.

Protection features Automaticsafeguardsprotectagainstdamagefromover-temperature,over-voltage,over-current,andreversepolarity.

Dimensions 16in.x8in.x5in.(notincludingcablepouchorPVleads)

Electrical Specifications

Parameter Value

PV voltage measurement range 0–600VDC

PV current measurement range 0–20ADC

Recommended minimum Voc 20VDC

Recommended minimum Isc 1ADC

I-V measurement cycle time 4s(typical)

I-V measurement time (I-V sweep) 80–240ms

Measurement points per trace 100(typical)

Ambient operating temperature range * 0to+50degC

Storage temperature -20to+60degC

Battery life (continuous operation) 12hoursbetweencharges

Charging time 6hours

Safety IEC-61010CATIII,600V

Protection Over-voltage,over-current,over-temperature

Headquarters117MorrisSt.Suite100Sebastopol,CA95472www.solmetric.comemail:info@solmetric.com

Tel:+1-707-823-4600Fax:+1-707-823-4620

PV VerificationPV DesignSite Evaluation

SolmetricSunEye

SolmetricPV Designer

SolmetricPV Analyzer

About SolmetricSolmetric provides accurate, time-saving solutions for solar professionals.

Watch the PV Analyzer video online www.solmetric.com/videos1.html