Training on PV: Focus on Maintenance, Fault Research

Although the national PV market stimulation initiative, the “Conto Energia Programme”, has been concluded, annual installations are expected not to be stopped, should the Italian Government take into account suitable measures. Nevertheless, the total installed capacity of over 18 GW must be properly managed in order to maximize the benefit of the incentive tariff for a period of 20 years. The training of skills plays an important role, especially for operation and maintenance, faults research and plants performance. A survey of failure identification occurring in PV Plants was launched among the network of qualified professionals and installers who, in the previous years, attended Mesos courses. The results have been reported in a database and analysed by experts. After the identification of the possible solutions, the most significant faults were included in a training course designed to improve the skills of professionals and installers of PV. Typical faults in PV arrays will be reviewed and reported in guidelines for installers enabling them to operate on PV plant properly and to classify and solve the relative faults towards the optimization of the plant.