KNESS Service: individual approach, international standards

An industrial solar power plant (SPP) includes two elements at the same time: a real asset for the owner and a source of clean energy for the consumer and the country. For the plant to operate efficiently, it is not enough to design and build the facility properly. Uninterrupted generation requires appropriate operation, real-time SPP monitoring to track plant performance and promptly respond to failures, as well as regular maintenance. For this purpose, there is a whole range of measures aimed at solving the main tasks: ensuring reliable and efficient operation of SPPs, timely implementation of scheduled preventive maintenance of equipment, prompt detection and localization of deviations in the plant’s operation, monitoring and analytics of the operation of the main equipment of SPPs, and transparent reporting.

Volodymyr Melnyk, Director of Operation & Maintenance direction, talks about the maintenance of KNESS solar power plants.

KNESS Service in numbers and facts

KNESS Service, which is a part of the KNESS Group, has been operating in the solar power plant operation and maintenance market since 2015. We are one of the first Ukrainian companies to specialize exclusively in this area and to introduce and approve internal standards for the maintenance of solar power plants.  And last year, we confirmed the quality of our services by certifying compliance with international ISO standards. Today, we are providing a range of services in the European market as well.

Thanks to more than 10 years of activity and cooperation with foreign partners, we have extensive experience, a strong team, and the opportunity to provide an individual approach to all facilities under our service. All of this confirms KNESS’s most comprehensive expertise in the solar power plant maintenance market.

As part of Operation & Maintenance, we carry out the full range of work on the operational, technical, and dispatching management of SPPs. We provide maintenance of high-voltage substations. We also carry out maintenance and diagnostics of electrical equipment at facilities.

As of the beginning of 2024,  about 140 industrial solar power plants (ground and rooftop) with a total capacity of 1.44 GW, as well as five 110 and 150 kV substations, are under our O&M. These facilities are located all over the country.

KNESS Service is equipped with specialized equipment, modern technology and a whole range of in-house developed IT solutions. In particular, we are talking about the PV.SCADA software and hardware complex, which allows us to monitor all indicators at the facility around the clock and respond quickly in case of deviations. More than 300 solar power plants with a total capacity of 2.5 GW are integrated into the PV.SCADA system. At the same time, PV.SCADA is the main tool of our dispatch center, which provides 24/7 remote control of solar stations and is one of the largest in Ukraine.

Team

KNESS Service is a team of professionals with a focused area of responsibility. Our specialists have extensive experience in the operation and maintenance of electrical facilities. Among the largest solar power plants we are servicing are facilities with a peak capacity of 63 MW and 91 MW, each of which covers more than 100 hectares. In addition, the qualifications and experience of our employees allow us to perform operational switching and carry out scheduled or emergency maintenance of high-voltage substations with a voltage class of 150-6 kV, as well as to carry out maintenance and emergency repair work on equipment up to 330 kV. Constant internal and external training initiated by the company for its employees enable the team to develop competencies and deepen highly specialized knowledge.

How does it all start? Accepting a solar power plant for operation and maintenance

There are regulations for accepting a station for maintenance, often drawn up at the design stage. Upon completion of the SPP construction, a technical audit is carried out to check the quality of construction and the ability to energize the plant. Next, a commissioning program is developed and agreed with the regional power company, a regulation on the relationship between the KNESS Service dispatch center and the distribution system operator of the relevant region is signed, and a service agreement is signed between KNESS Service and the owner.

If an already operating solar power plant is taken over for maintenance, an audit is still carried out. Then the documentation from the previous service organization is transferred. All comments made after the audit are included in the report, the owner of the plant is notified, and a service agreement is signed after the details are agreed upon.

A full range of maintenance works for the efficient operation of solar power plants

Operational and technical maintenance of SPPs

The daily operation of the plant is ensured by the staff on duty in accordance with the regulations. A mobile team of specialists is engaged to carry out controlling, diagnostics and preventive maintenance in accordance with the established schedule or in case of any deficiencies in the plant operation. The field staff has everything necessary to respond to emergencies within 24 hours. A separate team monitors, adjusts, and maintains the relay protection devices, as well as performs repair work.

In its work, the team uses modern thermal imaging equipment and its own certified high-voltage laboratory for testing and measuring electrical equipment. At the same time, we have our own spare parts warehouse and a separate department that supplies consumables and organizes warranty replacement and maintenance of equipment in case of factory faults.

Our specialists maintain the required level of Performance Ratio or Production Based Availability for each facility, and, if necessary, perform reengineering and optimization work.  The team records all the work performed in reporting documentation and protocols.

In addition, we carry out a full range of household services: mowing the grass, clearing snow or contamination of solar modules using special equipment, and ensuring fire safety and security.

Operational and dispatching management of SPPs

To remotely control SPPs 24/7/365 and promptly respond to any deviations in the operation of power plants from the norm, KNESS Service operates a Centralized Dispatch Center that monitors the operation of hundreds of power facilities throughout Ukraine and in Latvia. If there are any deviations from the normative indicators in the operation of one of the stations, the information is immediately displayed in the monitoring system at the dispatcher’s workstation, who immediately contacts the operational staff on duty at the SPP for inspection. At the same time, by using the PV.SCADA software and hardware complex, the dispatcher can remotely control the operation of the solar power plant, regulating the voltage, generation level and controlling the switchgear. Moreover, the dispatch center supports the provision of an automated capability for PV.SCADA to interact with the renewable energy source restrictions management system for remote electrical installations in the Ukrainian energy market (RMS RES, for market participants as provider of RES load reduction services with support; MDK Generator for market participants as BSP) and the pan-European international energy platform Nord Pool AS in the Latvian energy market. This enables a prompt response to the commands of the operators responsible for the operation of power systems, which is a mandatory legal requirement for RES producers.

In addition to controlling and monitoring, dispatchers also analyze the plant’s operation and generate monthly reports to determine its efficiency.

Additional services

The O&M service also includes a commercial electricity metering service, which allows for remote reading of metering devices for convenient monitoring and processing of the plant’s generation indicators. The PV Forecast system, which integrates artificial intelligence, can provide separate services for forecasting  SPP’s generation.

Geography of work

In order to be as responsive as possible, we have created an extensive network of branches and warehouses with all the necessary equipment. The company’s specialists are based in Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa regions, and Vinnytsia. Last year, KNESS Service branches were also established in the Dnipro region and international markets (Poland and Latvia).

IT part for the SPPs’ efficiency: own software and hardware systems

Main tool for managing SPPs: PV.SCADA

KNESS Service has an automated technological process and generation control system, namely PV.SCADA software and hardware complex developed by KNESS RnD Center. It reads and transmits to the dispatch center complete data on the equipment status: on/off, current, voltage, generated power, current and daily, all electrical parameters that affect electricity generation, and by which it is possible to assess whether the SPP is operating in the optimal mode.

PV.SCADA version updated in 2023 is characterized by fast performance, uninterrupted operation, security, and convenience.  In addition, the program is equipped with artificial intelligence, which allows it to “self-learn” and quickly analyze the data received.  If necessary, it is always possible to view the data for any day of any year since the SPP was connected to the system.

All collected information is stored not only on the main cloud server but also on a local independent server thanks to hot backup. This allows for uninterrupted facility management, even in case of a main server failure.

Modern system for forecasting electricity production from renewable energy sources by KNESS: PV Forecast

Since the introduction of imbalances liabilities for renewable electricity producers, plant owners shall report the planned energy output for the day in advance. In the case of renewable sources, namely solar power plants, this is quite difficult, as a number of parameters need to be taken into account: changes in weather conditions, seasonality, and the technical condition of the equipment. For this purpose, KNESS has developed a special tool for forecasting electricity generation by solar power plants called PV Forecast. The use of artificial intelligence in PV.Forecast allows the program to learn from each facility and improve the accuracy of SPP generation forecasts as the lifetime of the complex increases. The weighted average annual error of the forecasting system for a new station is about 18-20% for forecasting the next day’s SPP generation. Refining the forecasted schedule by training the neural network can reduce the error to 9-12%.

KNESS Service today

In today’s realities, it is necessary to work even faster, make the most of our experience, adapt quickly, integrate the latest approaches to development and continuously strengthen our expertise.

What is also important now is unity. The synergy of interaction between energy industry professionals brings much better results. Our team, together with industry colleagues, is involved in the active restoration of damaged power facilities. Last year, we helped to restore 330 kV air circuit breakers at one of the critical infrastructure facilities, restored the operation of facilities located in the de-occupied territories and frontline cities, and arranged for the repair of centralized inverters. There is still a lot of work to be done, but together we can do it.

We continue to work and support Ukraine, gradually develop in the European market, and make further plans. We are exploring new markets, investing our experience in the development and implementation of innovative solutions aimed at providing the highest quality, most efficient maintenance services in accordance with international standards.

  Supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and firmly believing in the Victory.