Jens Buchholz is a senior PV expert at 8.2 Group, which provides quality assurance services for solar power plants. 8.2 Group was founded in 1995 and now has over 150 employees in 25 offices serving over 5,000 customers in almost 50 countries. Quality assurance is crucial for solar power plants to increase power output, reduce risks, increase availability, and ensure safe investments and energy production. It helps detect issues like micro cracks in modules that can lead to power losses over the lifetime of the system.

2. Quality Assurance for
Solar Power Plants
Jens Buchholz, 8.2 Group

3. Jens Buchholz
Senior PV Expert, 8.2 Group
M.Eng. in Renewable Energy
Expertise:
 Technical Due Diligence, Feasibility Study, Construction Supervision
Prior experiences:
 M.Eng. in Renewable Energy Systems - Environmental and Process
Engineering
 Sander Umformtechnik GmbH
Welcome

4. Vision: To be the most preferred technical advisor in the field of Renewable Energy
Mission: To identify and assure the best Renewable Energy Solution for our clients
Founded in 1995 by Manfred Lührs, 8.2 Group today has more than 150 employees in 25
independent offices
8.2 Group has over 5.000 customers in almost 50 countries worldwide
8.2 combines global reach and Renewable Energy expertise
8.2 Group – Renewable Energy Services

5. Banks:
Bank of Punjab
Bremer Landesbank
Commerzbank
Deutsche Bank
DIF
DKB
Eurasian Development
Bank
HSH Nordbank
HVB
KfW
LBBW
Nord LB
Unicredit
World Bank
Utilities:
GDF Suez
Vattenfall
Triodos
Stadtwerke Bochum
Stadtwerke Düsseldorf
Stadtwerke München
HSE
EnBW
Energisa
Eon
EWE
OMV
Others:
Suzlon
GIZ
DOTI
Luxcara
Juwi
National Energy Regulator
of South Africa (NERSA)
General Capital Group
GE
Gamesa
Selected Customers

6. • Ongoing boom of new PV installations
(Source: IEA 2017 - Snapshot of Global Photovoltaic Markets 2016)
More than 100 GWp of
new PV installations in
2017
As the relevance of solar
power plants increases,
the importance of the
underlying system
quality also increases!
Development of worldwide PV Market

7. What‘s better?
Both PV modules appear to
be equal…

8. • Example: Detection of micro cracks through electroluminescence
Module 2Module 1
Hidden Surprises can be made visible!
…but “invisible” Micro cracks
can lead to power losses over
system lifetime.

9. • PV modules with low quality result in serious investment risks
!High failure risk
Low quality PV modules
result in serious
investment risks
Examples for PV Module Failures

10. • Effect of quality assurance on yield distribution
Installation with
quality assurance
improves through
higher
Performance Ratio
Specific Yield
[kWh/kWp]
Frequency
Expected yield
distribution
without quality
assurance
1,650 1,730
Results of Quality Assurance
• Increase of energy yield
• Reduction of risk
Why Quality Assurance for PV Projects?

11. • Quality Assurance is crucial for the Operation
of Solar Power Plants
1. Increase of power output
2. Reduction of operational risks
3. Increase of system availability
4. Safe investments & safe energy production
Why Quality Assurance for PV Projects?

12. Contact:
8.2 Obst & Ziehmann International GmbH
Brandstwiete 4
20457 Hamburg
jens.buchholz@8p2.de / ralf.reek@8p2.de
+49 40 18 12 604-75
www.8p2.com