Losses Heatmap

The Losses Heatmap is an advanced visualization feature that presents a detailed and interactive view of energy losses across devices over time. This feature leverages GPM's Advanced Analytics to allow you to identify patterns, trends and anomalies in energy production and output.

Losses are color-coded to reflect the severity of each loss category, based on its impact on production. The color code can be customized to meet the specific requirements of your organization.

Figure 1. Losses Heatmap
Losses Heatmap displaying breakdown loss data for 10 inverters.

  1. Element and loss types on display.

  2. Timestamp: informs you of when the data on display was retrieved.

    Click the Refresh icon icon to refresh and load the latest available data.

  3. Display options:
    • Device type: open the drop-down menu to change the devices you want to analyze:
      • Inverter
      • String
      • String-box

    • Loss type: open the drop-down menu to change the type of losses you want to see displayed (for example, Breakdown).

    • Sorting: open the drop-down menu to select how to arrange the data on the map:
      • Alphabetical
      • Ascending (minimum to maximum values)
      • Descending (maximum to minimum values)
    • Time span: select the periods covered by the chart.
      • Month
      • Quarter
      • Year

    • Date selector: open the drop-down menu to select the dates for the time period.

  4. Element losses: hover over a cell to view a detailed information panel about the losses of a specific element at a particular point in time:

    Information panel displaying details about the performance of the selected element

The Losses Heatmap has five main functionalities:

  • Temporal loss analysis enables you to visualize how different types of losses vary over time, providing insights into periodic or sporadic issues.

  • Device-specific insights allow you to break down losses by device, to quickly identify underperforming or faulty components in a plant.

  • Pattern recognition facilitates the identification of recurring issues, such as regular drops in production related to seasonal changes or maintenance schedules.

  • Comparative analysis of different time periods or devices makes it easy to pinpoint effective operational strategies and maintenance interventions.

  • Interactive exploration allows you to interact with the data, zooming into specific time frames or focusing on particular devices or loss types.

Loss Categories

Loss categories are detailed and quantifiable definitions of the factors that affect your assets and cause losses in production and output. This enables a level of great detail to classify and analyze the difference between the expected or estimated energy production and the actual production at the level of plants and individual devices (for example, inverters or turbines).

Note: For more information, see the sections on Advanced Analytics and Loss Categories.
CategoryDescription
Actual energyReal energy output of the plant after accounting for all losses.
ClippingLosses caused by limiting the energy production of inverters to their maximum capacity.
CurtailmentDeliberate reduced output due to grid management or response to overproduction.
Expected energy/Theoretical productionProjected energy yield after taking into consideration corrections for irradiance and temperature.
Grid outageEnergy lost or not produced due to failures in the connectivity of the power grid.
Inverter efficiencyDiscrepancy between the expected and the actual performance of inverters.
Inverter outageDowntime or inefficiency of inverters, affecting energy conversion.
Irradiance correctionAdjustment of predicted production, based on real-time solar irradiance.
Partial breakdownMalfunction or degradation in a section of the solar array.
Predicted productionInitial forecast of energy output, based on historical data and plant capacity.
Temperature correctionModification to account for temperature impacts on the efficiency of panels.
ShadowLosses caused by shading of the panels, due to natural or artificial obstructions.
SoilingLosses caused by dirt, dust and other residues on solar panels.
Tracker misalignmentReduced efficiency due to the solar trackers sub-optimally aligning the panels with the sun.
Tracker stowLosses caused when trackers are stowed for protection (for example, during harsh weather conditions).
VegetationReduced efficiency caused by overgrown vegetation that casts shadows or damages panels.
Other lossesMiscellaneous or unidentified causes.