Utility-scale power plants that rely on solar power have been deployed around the world, including photovoltaic (PV) plants and concentrated solar plants (CSP). The technology used in these applications has developed and improved significantly over the past decade.
Technical Expert Services
CEERISK’s experience with photovoltaic PV panels extends many years and have been involved with utility-scale PV plants from an insurance perspective. Our experts have been asked to provide technical expert advice on a range of matters involving solar power.
We have provided technical expert services to legal professionals around the world in applications, including:
- Analysing performance issues in the electrical earthing system of a PV Solar plant in Egypt.
- Investigation into the root cause of a fire in a VAR-Compensator used at a PV solar power plant to improve power quality of power going to the EHV transmission substation.
- Investigating the failure of a thermal energy storage system at a solar CSP plant in Morocco.
- Provided consultation to clients in relation to a warranty claim stemming from drop in PR (Performance Ratio) of PV panels in a utility-scale PV plant that included review and analysis of design specification, manufacturing data and environmental factors.
Forensic Investigation
Many failures can occur in PV panels, whether as the result of a design defect during the manufacturing stage or poor workmanship during installation. Because utility-scale PV farms and CSP plants can involve up to hundreds of modules, identifying the cause of the failure is critical following the loss, as there may have been a serial defect.
We have investigated design defects and failures, in addition to damage caused by fire, electrical faults and environmental conditions.
We have also investigated losses associated with battery energy storage systems.
Risk Management
We have carried out risk surveys for multiple utility-scale PV plants around the world, identifying hazards and providing risk improvement measures.
