NTCSA, a South Africa-based transmission company, has developed an Exploratory Factor Analysis model to improve solar PV plant performance using operational data. Bartlett’s test (χ² = 42895.91, p < .001) and a KMO measure above 0.60 were used to confirm data suitability. NTCSA has identified a three-factor model that explained 76.2% of the total variance in solar PV energy output. Factor 1 has included energy-related variables such as irradiance, DC input power, AC power, and DC input current. Factor 2 has represented system usage variables including inverter runtime, grid injection time, energy generation, and connection count. Factor 3 has covered environmental and stability indicators like external temperature, wind speed, grid frequency, and negatively associated DC input voltage. Seasonal validation was performed by NTCSA using irradiance and DC input current to confirm model robustness across winter and summer datasets. The model has supported improved system monitoring, targeted fault detection, and maintenance planning under varying operational conditions.