Five PV Design Mistakes That Increase CAPEX, OPEX and Project Risk
Date Published
Design errors are rarely isolated. A weak assumption can move through sizing, procurement, construction and operation, where it becomes more expensive to correct.
1. Optimizing equipment before defining constraints
A low equipment price does not compensate for voltage, temperature, grid, land or operating constraints that were not considered in the design basis.
2. Treating the loss diagram as a standard template
Losses must reflect the site, architecture, availability strategy and climate. Reusing generic percentages can hide both performance risk and realistic opportunities.
3. Ignoring access and maintainability
Layouts that maximize installed capacity but restrict maintenance access can increase downtime, safety exposure and operating cost.
4. Reviewing disciplines separately
Civil, structural, electrical, monitoring and grid designs meet at interfaces. Separate reviews may confirm each document while missing contradictions between them.
5. Closing comments without verifying consequences
A design change can resolve one comment and create another issue elsewhere. Important corrections should be checked through the connected calculations and drawings.