Stand-Alone PV Design Verification and Performance Guide

Identify site, system owner, intended use, nominal voltage and rated PV capacity.

Define the reference load profile, daily energy, peak load and starting surge.

Define required autonomy in hours or days and the acceptable load-shedding strategy.

Record solar-resource, temperature and other environmental assumptions.

Record battery chemistry, rated capacity, usable DoD and end-of-discharge limit.

Define pass/fail criteria and approved tolerances before testing begins.

Recalculate daily energy from the approved appliance schedule.

Check PV sizing after applicable generation and conversion losses.

Check battery usable energy after DoD, temperature and efficiency assumptions.

Check inverter continuous and surge power against the declared load.

Check controller input voltage/current limits across expected temperatures.

Check conductor, protection, isolation, earthing and environmental ratings.

Record every assumption so measured results can be compared with the design.

Match module string voltage and current to controller or inverter inputs.

Match controller charging profile and current to the battery requirements.

Match inverter DC operating range and low-voltage cut-off to the battery/BMS.

Confirm battery/BMS communication protocol where closed-loop control is required.

Check protection ratings against conductor and equipment limits.

Check monitoring sensors, shunts, current transformers and data scaling.

Inspect workmanship, labels, clearances, ventilation, cable support and enclosure condition.

Verify polarity, continuity, insulation as applicable and equipment earthing.

Record module/string voltage, battery voltage and initial state of charge.

Confirm protective devices and emergency isolation are installed and operable.

Confirm measurement instruments are suitable and identify their accuracy.

Record firmware, configuration values and active operating modes.

Verify PV charging starts, tracks available energy and respects battery limits.

Verify the inverter supplies the reference load at correct voltage and frequency.

Test the largest approved surge load without unstable operation.

Verify alarms, overload response, low-voltage warning and protective shutdown.

Verify monitoring values and event records against independent measurements.

Verify restart and return to normal operation after a controlled shutdown.

Begin from a documented initial battery state and stable operating condition.

Apply the declared load profile or a justified equivalent test profile.

Record load energy, battery voltage/current, state of charge, temperature and time.

Continue until the autonomy period is achieved or the approved end-of-discharge condition occurs.

Confirm essential loads remain within acceptable voltage and service limits.

Compare measured delivered energy and duration with the design target and explain deviations.

Document the battery state at the end of the autonomy test.

Restore the defined solar or controlled charging input.

Record charging current, energy accepted, state of charge, temperature and elapsed time.

Verify charge control reduces or ends charging according to the configured battery profile.

Confirm the system returns to stable service without repeated low-voltage cycling.

Assess whether the available PV array and design conditions support the required recovery window.

List test dates, environmental conditions, instruments and personnel.

Tabulate expected and measured functionality, autonomy and recovery results.

Identify pass, conditional pass or fail for each declared criterion.

Record defects, deviations, corrective actions and any retest results.

Update settings, calculations, SLD or operating instructions when changes are approved.

Obtain technical approval and customer handover acceptance.