Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUPERNOVA (OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE AND GRID FRIENDLY TOOLS AND SOLUTIONS FOR SOLAR DATA FUSION AND INSIGHT EXPLOSION FOR RELIABLE, BANKABLE, CIRCULAR PV PLANTS)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-05-31
The SUPERNOVA project brings together a consortium of 20 partners representing the entire value chain of photovoltaic (PV) energy systems, including manufacturers, project developers, independent power producers, operations and maintenance (O&M) providers, specialized service providers, and research institutions. This broad composition is fundamental to the project’s ambition: improving quality, sustainability, and efficiency across the PV sector by breaking down existing silos along the value chain and fostering collaboration between all stakeholders.
The project pursues seven interlinked specific objectives:
1. Improving PV plant design for O&M and grid-friendliness, by introducing objective functions beyond yield maximization and enabling designs compatible with unmanned vehicle operations.
2. Developing advanced sensing solutions with high spatial and temporal granularity, such as smart modules with integrated monitoring and failure detection, string-level IoT monitoring devices, and smart tracking control systems.
3. Leveraging robotic solutions through the hybridization of aerial and ground-based platforms, combining inspection sensors with patrolling robots, and integrating aerial imaging with in-field inspection to reduce costs and expand coverage.
4. Enabling data fusion across the value chain and service providers to maximize insights from diverse sources, supported by AI and machine learning for sensor-data-image integration and computer vision for O&M applications.
5. Facilitating a circular economy for PV components through data-driven classification, enabling re-use of functional components, and supporting improved warranty and insurance claim processes.
6. Increasing the profitability and resilience of PV systems via innovative O&M and grid-friendly strategies, including data monetization, enhanced energy trading, and adaptation to climate change impacts.
7. Building confidence and business value in data sharing by developing a PV sector Energy Data Space with customizable sharing plans, dedicated applications for data processing, and guidelines for monetization and best practices.
Together, these objectives define a holistic approach where technological innovation, digital integration, and sustainability reinforce each other. SUPERNOVA thus aims to not only advance the technical and economic performance of PV systems but also create new business opportunities and strengthen Europe’s leadership in renewable energy.
The project pursues seven interlinked specific objectives:
1. Improving PV plant design for O&M and grid-friendliness, by introducing objective functions beyond yield maximization and enabling designs compatible with unmanned vehicle operations.
2. Developing advanced sensing solutions with high spatial and temporal granularity, such as smart modules with integrated monitoring and failure detection, string-level IoT monitoring devices, and smart tracking control systems.
3. Leveraging robotic solutions through the hybridization of aerial and ground-based platforms, combining inspection sensors with patrolling robots, and integrating aerial imaging with in-field inspection to reduce costs and expand coverage.
4. Enabling data fusion across the value chain and service providers to maximize insights from diverse sources, supported by AI and machine learning for sensor-data-image integration and computer vision for O&M applications.
5. Facilitating a circular economy for PV components through data-driven classification, enabling re-use of functional components, and supporting improved warranty and insurance claim processes.
6. Increasing the profitability and resilience of PV systems via innovative O&M and grid-friendly strategies, including data monetization, enhanced energy trading, and adaptation to climate change impacts.
7. Building confidence and business value in data sharing by developing a PV sector Energy Data Space with customizable sharing plans, dedicated applications for data processing, and guidelines for monetization and best practices.
Together, these objectives define a holistic approach where technological innovation, digital integration, and sustainability reinforce each other. SUPERNOVA thus aims to not only advance the technical and economic performance of PV systems but also create new business opportunities and strengthen Europe’s leadership in renewable energy.
For the maintenance practices, the main developments have focussed on prototyping smart PV modules, simplification of PV module imaging and evaluation of sensing solutions beyond infrared inspection. In-depth studies of near-infrared spectroscopy and UV-fluorescence spectroscopy of a large number of PV modules have been performed, which are supporting not only degradation analysis, but are also important for end-of life decisions. For the analysis of multi-spectral images, the focus has been on data collection and defect detection.
To simplify communication and mitigate data losses throughout the lifecycle of a PV plant, the partners are working on communication protocols between different platforms. The SUPERNOVA API was developed, which allows a combined but federated management of PV assets.
Progress was also made in shared data frameworks (the PV Data Space) and the integration of operational performance data, with AI and machine learning models being developed to optimise asset operations. Cybersecurity and grid-friendly requirements were defined to ensure safe system integration, while trading strategies were analysed using probabilistic forecasts and machine learning techniques. The integration of SCADA and market data enabled comprehensive outage impact analysis, and initial model predictive control strategies were developed to optimise battery and PV plant performance.
To simplify communication and mitigate data losses throughout the lifecycle of a PV plant, the partners are working on communication protocols between different platforms. The SUPERNOVA API was developed, which allows a combined but federated management of PV assets.
Progress was also made in shared data frameworks (the PV Data Space) and the integration of operational performance data, with AI and machine learning models being developed to optimise asset operations. Cybersecurity and grid-friendly requirements were defined to ensure safe system integration, while trading strategies were analysed using probabilistic forecasts and machine learning techniques. The integration of SCADA and market data enabled comprehensive outage impact analysis, and initial model predictive control strategies were developed to optimise battery and PV plant performance.
First promising technical results include new monitoring solutions for PV plants, upgraded autonomous robots for field operations, and the initial deployment of advanced spectroscopy for component analysis. The project also made progress in image-based diagnostics and federated asset management platforms. Work on AI-driven asset optimisation and cybersecurity has started. Great results have been reached by an optimized day-ahead PV power forecast for imbalance cost reduction.
Potential impacts of these results include improved reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of PV plants, reduced operational costs, and enhanced data-driven decision-making for asset managers. The integration of advanced sensing, robotics, and AI-driven analytics is expected to support the transition to circular economy models and new business opportunities in the PV sector.
However, as the project is still in the first half of its term, most solutions are still in development or early validation phases and will be advanced throughout the SUPERNOVA project by:
• Continued research and demonstration activities
• Strong support for intellectual property management and protection to facilitate innovation and collaboration.
• A supportive regulatory and standardisation framework to ensure interoperability, data security, and compliance with industry standards.
Potential impacts of these results include improved reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of PV plants, reduced operational costs, and enhanced data-driven decision-making for asset managers. The integration of advanced sensing, robotics, and AI-driven analytics is expected to support the transition to circular economy models and new business opportunities in the PV sector.
However, as the project is still in the first half of its term, most solutions are still in development or early validation phases and will be advanced throughout the SUPERNOVA project by:
• Continued research and demonstration activities
• Strong support for intellectual property management and protection to facilitate innovation and collaboration.
• A supportive regulatory and standardisation framework to ensure interoperability, data security, and compliance with industry standards.