LINET Kikugawa Site

LINET Kikugawa Site

LINET Kikugawa Site

AI Alerts Shade from Weed Overgrowth, Reducing Power Loss

LINET

Commercial Rooftop Solar | Japan

Linet Co., Ltd. is a Japanese renewable energy company focused on large-scale solar plants, rooftop systems for corporate self-consumption, and grid-scale storage solutions. To date, Linet has developed over 400 MW of solar capacity, many of which use the PHOTON system for real-time monitoring, data management, and performance tracking.

Anomaly Detected: AI Shade Alert

One morning, a PHOTON user received a rare “shading event” alert — something typically missed by other systems. Shading is often caused by nearby vegetation or structures obstructing sunlight. PHOTON identified it by detecting subtle changes in voltage and current patterns.

This site is a 42 MW self-generated large rooftop solar power plant, encompassing a total of 30 factory roofs, including 328 inverters and 3,280 solar modules. The electrical infrastructure across the area is quite complex and intricate. The factory roofs are divided into six zones, each with specific configurations; some utilize "grid internal wiring without reverse power feed," while others employ a partial "selling excess electricity to the grid."

In terms of communication, since it is built on the factories of end users, establishing a physical network is not an easy task and requires collaboration with network service providers. We co-designed a wireless access point (Access Point) solution that allows installers to read information from all solar devices on each roof without interfering with factory operations. Additionally, a master-slave architecture was adopted to achieve "grid internal wiring without reverse power feed" control across rooftops and transmit PQIV data to the TNB SCADA system. By using the thingnario software solution, we successfully overcame various challenges in on-site construction, enabling the EPC team to execute the project efficiently and with reduced workload.

Investigation: From Data to Site

The alert was traced to a few inverters that consistently showed early-morning performance drops. Using system-uploaded layout diagrams and site photos, the team pinpointed the issue to modules along the southern edge of the plant — confirming noticeable power loss due to shading.

Hypothesis & Validation

Considering the plant's southern-facing orientation and Japan’s southeast sunrise angle, the team hypothesized that weed overgrowth was causing shading. This was confirmed by on-site photos provided by Linet. Within two weeks, the maintenance team cleared the vegetation, resolving the issue.

“We were surprised by how quickly the weeds had grown. Thanks to PHOTON’s early alert, we avoided a significant energy loss.”

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Need help with our products? Chat with our LINE Assistant !

Live support hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00 (excluding public holidays; special notices will be provided)

Unified Business Number: 52600602

@ 2025 thingnario All Rights Reserved

Need help with our products? Chat with our LINE Assistant !

Live support hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00 (excluding public holidays; special notices will be provided)

Unified Business Number: 52600602

@ 2025 thingnario All Rights Reserved

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