Photovoltaic revamping and photovoltaic repowering are two practices aimed
at maintaining and upgrading plants respectively, with the purpose of
extending their life and improving their efficiency.
Revamping specifically involves maintenance and modernisation
works on the photovoltaic plant to restore its initial performance. Repowering involves
the adoption of more advanced components, sometimes combined with an increase in photovoltaic
modules, to upgrade the plant and increase its yield.

Photovoltaic revamping

Revamping concerns photovoltaic plants that have lost efficiency. In particular:

• plants incentivised with Conto Energia that are outdated and in need of
  maintenance;
• plants damaged by unforeseen events such as adverse weather conditions, theft or breakdowns;
• plants with design criticalities to be corrected;
• plants that need to be aligned with the new safety standards defined by the GSE.

In order to restore the plant to its initial performance, but also to adjust it to compliance criteria,
it is modernised through a wide range of works
divided into significant and non-significant.

Significant works must be reported to the GSE within 60 days of being
carried out. This category includes:

• the replacement, removal and new installation of the main components, such as
  photovoltaic panels and inverters, which have become obsolete or malfunctioning;
• the relocation of photovoltaic modules;
• the modification of the grid feed-in scheme or of the identification code of the
  grid connection point.

Non-significant works do not require any compulsory notification.
This category includes:

• the relocation of inverters and minor electrical components;
• the replacement of minor electrical parts;
• works on the support structures housing the panels.

Photovoltaic repowering

Repowering is aimed at increasing the nominal power of the plant.
More technologically advanced components are introduced to optimise the performance
of the photovoltaic modules, or the plant is extended.

Repowering works are:

• the adoption of power optimisers;
• the replacement of obsolete modules with state-of-the-art panels;
• the installation of single-axis solar trackers;
• the introduction of new lithium batteries for storage;
• the increase in the number of photovoltaic panels.

Photovoltaic revamping and photovoltaic repowering can be
carried out together. However, in the specific case of Conto
Energia-incentivised plants, limits on energy upgrading imposed by the GSE must be complied with.

Revamping and repowering enable the plant to be digitised
and a Smart O&M solution to be implemented for remote management, the collection of operating,
consumption and production data, and for infrastructure monitoring.