Photovoltaic flat plate application experiment on a New England Telephone Company switching station. Phase I, October 1, 1978-March 31, 1979. Final report
The program described had the following major objectives: (1) to analyze the performance of a photovoltaic power panel using Compound Parabolic Concentrators (CPC) to reduce the area of solar cell required and thereby reduce panel costs per unit of electrical output; (2) to design a photovoltaic power system for use on a New England Telephone Company (NET) Switching Station located in Wilmington, Massachusetts; and (3) to fabricate several prototype CPC/solar cell panels of the final design selected for use on the NET building and to have these panels undergo electrical performance and environmental testing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories. The photovoltaic panel selected for the NET Company system utilizes a 3X CPC using plastic reflectors which are protected from the environment by a tempered glass cover plate and an aluminum enclosure. The panels are approximately 3 ft by 5 ft with an active depth of 6 inches which gives the overall appearance of a flat plate photovoltaic panel. The only tracking required for effective operation is a seasonal tilt adjustment 4 times a year. The NET Company installation will utilize 148 panels with a total active area of 2150 ft/sup 2/. This system produces about 20 kilowatts at peak power. The switching station application is particularly attractive, since it utilizes 50 volt DC power directly as it is produced by the array, so that no DC to AC inverter equipment is required. System design, specifications, performance analysis, cost estimates, and economics are presented. (WHK)
- Research Organization:
- Little (Arthur D.), Inc., Cambridge, MA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-78ET23059
- OSTI ID:
- 6624958
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ET/23059-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
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Related Subjects
140600* -- Solar Energy-- Photovoltaic Power Systems
COMPOUND PARABOLIC CONCENTRATORS
CONCENTRATOR SOLAR CELLS
COST
DESIGN
DIAGRAMS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
PERFORMANCE
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
POWER SUPPLIES
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPECIFICATIONS