Author: Michał Ratajewicz

Photovoltaic farms have a lot of advantages and they keep being built in various places around the world. The power plant does not require much interference and maintenance. Nevertheless it is worth monitoring its performance. Checking the performance of the plant is an important part of its proper and long-lasting operation. 

Taking care of a solar power plant allows it to maintain its efficiency at a high level for many years. To do that efficiently, the systems have been developed in a way to allow checking their condition with the remote monitoring. Thanks to this, all the irregularities can be detected easier.

It is also important to protect the solar farm from damage, not only those caused by atmospheric phenomena or unfortunate accidents, but also from those caused by third parties.

Despite the monitoring of solar farms, one should not forget about their regular inspection and servicing. Such inspections should be carried out by a specialized company at least once every few years. However, the farm should be checked frequently, at least every 5 years. Solar power plants are considered low-failure devices but sometimes a damage or a minor fault can appear. In such cases, the earlier the source of the problem is found the better. 

Maintenance and cleaning of the farms are also important and should be done at least once a year or more frequently if needed. Washing the panels must be done carefully, with the safety standards. It is always the best to have it done by a professional. The whole installation must be cleaned with the right products and care. 

It is equally important to mow the grass growing on the site because tall plants can restrict the sun’s rays from reaching the panels and lead to dirt. 

All these ways help to maintain the installation in good shape for a very long time and are worth remembering.

Nowadays, there are several types of photovoltaic cells on the solar market. There are monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon panels, which differ in their properties, performance and cost.

Monocrystalline panels

As the name suggests, these are made from monocrystalline silicon and their colour can range from dark blue to black. They are made by cutting silicon crystals and have bevelled corners. They are characterised by good resistance to mechanical damage and extremes of temperature, in addition to being very efficient. These are the most expensive sort of cells.

Polycrystalline panels

This type of a panel is made of polycrystalline silicon that is made up of many single crystals. It can be easily recognized with its light blue colour and crystal edges. The cells are square in shape. Polycrystalline photovoltaic panels are considered less efficient and more susceptible to high temperatures. They are popular due to their lower price than monocrystalline modules. 

Amorphous silicon panels

This is the least popular type of a photovoltaic cell. The main reason is the low efficiency of such cells. Another thing is the quick loss of the quality. These are the cheapest of all the types so they can be considered the biggest advantage. They are also flexible because of their small weight and no complications with the installation. They can be used even on the façade of a building.

In summary: 

if you care about efficiency – choose monocrystalline panels, 

if you expect good quality at a decent price – choose polycrystalline panels. 

On the other hand, if you do not have the possibility of installing a heavy installation, lightweight amorphous panels will work.

Probably every person facing the choice of whether or not to invest in a photovoltaic farm wonders if the investment turns out profitable. Well, the answer is – if you get behind it properly, it definitely will!

This depends on a number of things, including the intensity of the sunlight in the location you have chosen, the quality of the cells, proper installation and whether you have been successful in obtaining a subsidy. Before making a decision, you should definitely ask some experts’ advice. Only a correct analysis and the help of a specialist company will allow you to select the optimal energy source and equipment parameters for your specific location. In addition, specialists who know photovoltaics inside out are able to estimate the profitability of the investment and determine how much revenue and profit it will generate per year. The question of a well-chosen offer is therefore important and pays off for the investors quickly.

What are the benefits of a photovoltaic farm?

The use of renewable energy sources alone has many advantages, especially for the entrepreneurs who most often own the farms. First and foremost, photovoltaics means huge savings on large amounts of electricity, as well as energy independence from constant increases and the possibility of making a profit. It is worth adding that it is also a significant improvement in the company’s image and an end to power cuts. 

Photovoltaics is always a good decision for the planet – an investment in a better future. 

 If you are familiar with the photovoltaic industry, you will certainly know that photovoltaic farms are definitely the way to go for a profitable business. Thanks to the many subsidies available for farms in various countries, the demand for them has increased and is not slowing down. However, the construction of an installation requires proper preparation and prior knowledge of several terms known in the industry. For this reason, we advise how to set up a photovoltaic farm step by step. 

1. Create a good business plan – this is the basis for a successful investment.
2. Choose a suitable location for the entire installation – location is an extremely important issue, as the performance of your installation may depend on it. 
3. Create a cost estimate – make sure you have enough money to pay for the whole investment.
4. Acquire land – you can lease it or buy it outright.
5. Start the basic technical design and choose the technology – it is a good idea to ask for advice from the specialists at the photovoltaic company.
6. Apply for e.g. EU RES funding and take care of the necessary permits – be sure to check which subsidies are available in your country, as you can really save a lot with them. On the other hand, a permit is necessary to run the farm. 
7. Sign a contract for the sale of clean green energy with an end user or an energy supplier so that you can sell the surplus.
8. Choose a custodian or contractor for the whole installation – it is best to do a lot of research to choose a proven and experienced company. 
9. Build a commercial solar farm.
10. Test its operation and connect it to the grid.

Remember that every photovoltaic farm needs regular maintenance and monitoring in order to operate efficiently and to generate adequate power. Part of the ongoing operation also requires replacement or simple cleaning of its components.

Photovoltaic farms are a point of contention for many people – their owners tend to praise them because of the profits they make, while outsiders see them as one way of disfiguring the landscape. However, only few people know that there is a way for farmers to profit even more from photovoltaic farms. We are, of course, talking about agro-voltaics. 

What is agro-voltaics?

Literally, it is a combination of the word ‘agro’ meaning field or farm with the word ‘photovoltaics’. So you can guess that there is a combination of agriculture and photovoltaics. 

Why is it profitable?

It turns out that some vegetables can be successfully grown under the photovoltaic farms. Moreover, the panels can even have a positive effect on their growth, as a kind of symbiosis develops between them. The modules create a canopy for the plants, thus protecting them from the harmful effects of the weather and providing shade for the shade-loving ones. Broccoli, for example, grows very well under these conditions.

Is the transfer of solar energy to space possible? It looks like it is! This would allow using the Sun to supply the Earth with energy in an even more efficient way, due to the much greater intensity of sunlight.

As the plans are implemented, the major benefit for the Earth would be the chance to become CO2 neutral. It is also a step towards total energy independence. Further details as well as plans for this project are going to be discussed in November, at the meeting of the Ministers responsible for space travels.

In the next few decades the vision of extracting energy straight from space could become a reality. The idea has been around for long enough and the race to become a pioneer of this realisation is well underway. Chinese specialists among others, are working on the project, having already tested the most important technologies and planning to put the project into practice in about 13 years. The British specialists are also working on developing their own system with great enthusiasm, and American scientists have been exploring the possibility of using such technologies for some time. The use of these projects is mostly planned for the 2040s and 2050s.

According to the plans, the satellite is to be placed at an altitude of more than 35,000 km, in a so-called geostationary orbit. This solution will provide the delivery of electricity to the grid 24 hours a day with antennas located on Earth capturing it. The total cost of the project is estimated at between €8 billion and more than €31 billion for 30 years.