FY2018 PV Lifetime Annual Report (Final Project Report)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Started in 2016, the PV Lifetime Project is measuring PV module and system degradation profiles over time with the aim of distinguishing different module types and technology. Outdoor energy monitoring in different climates is supplemented with regular testing under repeatable test conditions indoors. The focus is on the PV module, as well as other hardware components (junction boxes, bypass diodes, and module-level electronics) attached to it. Hardware is installed at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, and at the University of Central Florida. The systems are continuously monitored for DC current and voltage, as well as periodic I-V curves at the string level. In the future, once degradation trends have been identified with more certainty, results will be made available to the public online. This data is expected to enable an increase in the accuracy and precision of degradation profiles used in yield assessments that support investments made in new PV plants. Current practice is to assume that degradation is constant over the life of the system. Forthcoming results in the next few years will help to determine whether this assumption is still appropriate.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
- OSTI ID:
- 1484335
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-2018-13371R; 670517
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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