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Installation Manual - ARES CS5 with cellular mode, rev.A
Page 4 of 16
5.0 Selecting a device locationBog'liq Fracsun ARES CS5 Install Manual, revA
Installation Manual - ARES CS5 with cellular mode, rev.A
Page 4 of 16
5.0 Selecting a device location
5.1
Where to install
Measuring soiling is a new area of study for solar asset owners and operations teams. Every solar plant has a unique
soiling profile based on several environmental factors like dominant wind direction, agricultural activity, dirt roads,
mowing operations, pollen, wildfire ash, and air pollution. Knowing where to install soiling measurement stations, like
ARES, is a not a well-studied field and there is no single location that will capture an accurate soiling model of the
entire array. For this reason, it is beneficial to have multiple measurement locations within an array field to capture
non-uniform soiling phenomena and improve statistical significance of the soiling loss data.
The key is to install at locations on the array that are representative of the entire system, or the specific area that you
are studying. The pins in the image below show potential locations of ARES devices across a solar plant.
Figure 5-1: Potential ARES device locations across an entire solar plant.
5.1.1 Uniform or non-uniform soiling
Every site has a unique soiling profile. Often, due to local site conditions, soiling levels throughout a single array can
vary greatly. By creating measurement zones within a single array, the ARES device can empower a team to focus on
areas of highest soiling first.
5.1.2 Placement on the array
To generate a representative soiling loss value, the ARES device must be installed adjacent to the array in the same
tilt and orientation as the modules themselves. This is achieved by attaching the ARES unit to a structural component
of the racking system. This can be a torque tube, Z-purlin, aluminum module rack or any other member that matches
the array tilt. It is ideal to install the ARES hardware while the array is clean to achieve a matching baseline. This can
be achieved after a significant rain even or an array cleaning. If neither of these are possible nor convenient, the
ARES unit can be installed while taking note that the soiling loss measurement will not match. The daily accumulated
soiling loss (soiling rate) can still be used in the Fracsun portal to calculate an estimate of current soiling loss at the
site by extrapolating back to the most recent cleaning event.
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