Inverter-level telemetry reports a shortfall after the fact and attributes it to nothing. String and panel-level monitoring, measured against an irradiance reference, separates soiling from shading from genuine degradation — which is the difference between dispatching a cleaning crew and replacing hardware under warranty.
Yield alone is ambiguous. Every signal here exists to remove one explanation for a shortfall.
| Signal | How | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| String current and voltage | Per-string measurement on the DC side | Locates a shortfall to a string rather than to the array |
| Irradiance reference | Reference cell or pyranometer on the same plane as the array | Distinguishes a bad day from a bad panel — without it, yield means nothing |
| Module temperature | Back-of-module sensing | Temperature coefficient accounted for, so summer output is judged correctly |
| Soiling ratio | Clean reference module compared against the array | Quantifies whether cleaning would pay, rather than cleaning to a schedule |
| Inverter telemetry | Modbus or the manufacturer's interface | Conversion losses and fault codes, correlated with DC-side measurement |
| Export and consumption metering | CT or pulse metering at the point of connection | Self-consumption, export and site load separated for a genuine financial picture |
The sensing is the solved part. These are what determine whether the deployment is still running in year three.
An array producing less than yesterday may be dirty, shaded, degraded, or simply under thinner sun. Without a reference on the same plane, every explanation remains available and none can be acted on. This single measurement determines whether the rest of the system is useful.
String voltages well into the hundreds and beyond mean isolation, creepage and clearance are design constraints from the first schematic, not packaging decisions. Arc risk and safe measurement practice shape the sensing approach.
Both present as a slow decline. They are separated by their signature over time and by response to rain or cleaning, which means the baseline period matters more than the sensor accuracy.
Distances, no convenient supply at the string and an environment full of switching electronics. Power line communication, sub-gigahertz radio or wired options are chosen against array layout, and a rooftop survey precedes the estimate.
The monitoring is expected to outlive several generations of the hardware it runs on. Obsolescence planning, second sources and an update path that still works in year twelve are part of the design rather than an afterthought.
Generation and consumption, on the same platform.
String and panel-level telemetry with irradiance reference, soiling quantification and degradation tracking against warranty terms.
Remote monitoring of equipment with no mains supply and no easy access, over LPWAN or satellite where terrestrial coverage does not reach.
Submetering, consumption attribution and export measurement across a portfolio.
Vibration, thermal and current analytics on generation and distribution equipment.
Because yield on its own is ambiguous. Lower output may be soiling, shading, degradation or simply less sun. A reference cell or pyranometer on the same plane as the array is what makes the difference measurable, and without it no other measurement can be interpreted.
By signature over time and response to rain or cleaning. Both look like a slow decline over a short window, which is why the baseline period matters more than sensor accuracy.
It depends on array size and the cost of a truck roll. Inverter telemetry reports that output fell; string-level reports where. On a large array, locating a fault without sending someone to walk it usually pays for the monitoring within a small number of interventions.
Yes. The same platform covers distributed utility equipment, submetering across an estate and condition monitoring on rotating and electrical plant.
Distributed asset monitoring.
INDUSTRYSector context.
AICondition analytics with lead time.
PRODUCTMulti-channel measurement.
PRODUCTAggregation and uplink.
PRODUCTSites beyond coverage.
Tell us the specification, the constraint and the deadline. Programmes that cross silicon, radio, embedded and AI are where Faststream is strongest.