"Mais Fotovoltaico, Mais Energia" campaign
UÉ promotes free inspection campaign for photovoltaic systems

The Renewable Energies Chair - University of Évora (CER-UÉ) starts the “Mais Fotovoltaico, Mais Energia” campaign [“More Photovoltaic, More Energy” campaign] of inspection of photovoltaic systems in Portugal, on June 24.

The “Mais Fotovoltaico, Mais Energia” campaign aims to promote the articulation of the academic community with society and seeks to encourage citizens to use this clean energy, through a process of technical inspection and diagnosis of solar photovoltaic systems, available free of charge. The campaign is part of the CER-UÉ mission "to contribute to the transfer and valorisation of knowledge, the provision of services to the community and, in particular, the promotion of the country's development in the solar energy sector".

According to Luís Fialho, CER-UÉ’s researcher specialized in the photovoltaic area and responsible for the campaign, this initiative aims to “reinforce the connection between research and citizens, giving specialized support to citizens who already produce photovoltaic energy”. This campaign is aimed at citizens or companies that have one or more photovoltaic production units for self-consumption, with a nominal power equal to or less than 30 kW, who are legally registered in Portugal and outside the installer's warranty period, and who accept the conditions set out in the campaign regulations.

The initiative will take place free of charge, at no cost to the adherents, with the expenses arising from the human resources involved in this action to be assumed by the promoter, except for the eventual cost of travel by the researchers and technicians who carry out the inspection. The participant may be asked for an extraordinary contribution for travel and subsistence expenses resulting from the work, which will be previously budgeted according to the distance between the location of the installation and the CER-UÉ headquarters and an eventual extraordinary duration of the inspection, due system complexity or other difficulties. The visit will only be carried out with agreement and prior acceptance of this contribution by the participant.

For Luís Fialho, there is not any financial objective, since “CER-UÉ will not have any financial advantage in its execution. It is just a way to safeguard the reimbursement of costs for travel over greater distances, which imply expenses resulting from the use of transportation or the need to stay”.

After the inspection, a technical report on the photovoltaic system will be prepared, which may include results of thermographic analysis, I-V curves, electroluminescence, analysis of energy production data, advice notes, and repair or operation tips.

At the same time that it corresponds to an initiative to stimulate the photovoltaic sector in Portugal, the campaign will contribute to the preparation and practical experience of CER-UÉ researchers and technicians in the inspection, diagnosis and repair activities, as well as allowing the continuity of the work of research on photovoltaic equipment. This initiative follows on from research on the aging of photovoltaic panels, initiated within the scope of the GRECO project - Fostering a Next Generation of European Photovoltaic Society through Open Science.

To participate in the campaign, the adhering photovoltaic installations must be registered using their own form, available on the CER-UÉ website, and wait for a contact from the CER team -UÉ to clarify the participant's application and equipment conditions and to schedule the visit for inspection.

Published in 23.06.2020