Overview
IEC 61724-1:2017 - Photovoltaic system performance, Part 1: Monitoring defines equipment, methods and terminology for monitoring and analysing photovoltaic (PV) system performance. The standard specifies how to measure, record and quality‑check the on-site and remotely sourced data that underpin performance assessment. It also establishes a common basis for other standards and tools that rely on PV monitoring data.
Key topics and requirements
- Monitoring system classification: Defines classes of monitoring systems and suggested applications (site selection, performance verification, O&M).
- Measured parameters: Requirements for key sensors and signals including irradiance (in‑plane and global), module/backsheet temperature, ambient air temperature, wind speed/direction, soiling ratio, rainfall, snow, humidity, tracker position, and DC/AC electrical measurements.
- Sensors and installation: Guidance on sensor selection, alignment, attachment (module backsheet sensors), calibration and maintenance to control measurement uncertainty.
- Data acquisition and timing: Rules for sampling, recording, timestamping and reporting of PV system data to ensure temporal consistency and traceability.
- Data quality and processing: Procedures for quality checks, invalid-reading removal, treatment of missing data and data filtering to derive reliable datasets.
- Calculated parameters and metrics: Definitions and methods for computing irradiation, energy (DC/AC), array and system yields, losses, efficiencies, performance ratios (PR) including temperature‑corrected PR, and performance indices.
- Annexes: Practical guidance on sampling interval selection, sensor attachment, derate factors and monitoring of systems with local loads/storage.
Practical applications and users
IEC 61724-1 is intended for professionals who require consistent, auditable PV performance data:
- PV system owners and asset managers - verify energy production and contract compliance.
- Operations & Maintenance (O&M) teams - detect faults, assess soiling and plan maintenance.
- Designers and engineers - validate model predictions and component performance.
- Testing labs and certification bodies - establish measurement traceability and uncertainty.
- Researchers and PV analytics providers - standardize inputs for performance models and benchmarking.
- Policy makers and utilities - base policy, interconnection and support schemes on consistent performance metrics.
Related standards and implementation
IEC 61724-1 provides the monitoring foundation for other PV performance and grid‑integration standards and is available from the IEC webstore. Implementing this standard improves data quality for performance assessment, comparison across sites, and automated analytics in PV system monitoring and asset management.
Keywords: IEC 61724-1, PV system monitoring, photovoltaic performance, irradiance measurement, performance metrics, data acquisition, sensors, monitoring equipment, performance ratio.
