Repowering or revamping existing solar power plants can improve their sustainability quotient, said BayWa r.e. Product Manager PV Revamping/Repowering EMEA Tomaso Charlemont during TaiyangNews Solar & Sustainability Virtual Conference.

Even as there is still time before millions of solar panels installed globally can come to an end of their working life to be recycled, operational projects need to be upgraded with time. Solar panels damaged by natural causes as hailstorms, wildfires, etc., too need a change.

New components have higher efficiencies so these will improve yield and allow for better use of land. Such a process will also lower O&M costs.

Replacing such defective panels with modern, higher efficiency panels help increase not only their working life, but also enhance the plant’s overall performance, said Charlemont. He shared an example of a solar array in France where replacing amorphous silicon modules with mono PERC panels improved the plant’s total installed capacity from 5.4 MW to 5.9 MW.

At the same time, using higher efficiency panels brings down land occupancy leaving it free to either expand the plant capacity or even use it for any other purpose. In case of an expansion, the asset owner would only need to apply for grid connection for new capacity added. Such a process will lower O&M costs as well.

These aspects for even other components of a solar power plant can contribute to a solar asset’s overall sustainability value, he stressed, leading to improved returns on investment. It also helps reduce carbon footprint.

Entire presentation of Tomaso Charlemont during the event is available on TaiyangNews YouTube Channel. Other presentations can also be accessed here.