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The Ivanpah CSP plant is studied herein. Ivanpah's Tower 1 central collector was simulated using the NREL SAM software toolkit. Input parameters for the Ivanpah CSP was found via public domain websites regarding Ivanpah. Outputs from NREL SAM were compared to hand calculated values and available data from the actual output of Ivanpah. Solar Irradiation data was used from the National Solar Radiation. The solar insolation data was taken for the year 2015 in which there is data available for the energy production from Ivanpah. The actual total output from Ivanpah 1 during 2015 was 209,975,000 kWh. It is published that Ivanpah underproduced significantly in 2015 meaning that calculated values are drastically greater than the data given. The simulations herein show that NREL SAM gave an annual output of 292,469,024 kWh and hand calculations gave an output of 318,414,566 kWh. The paper concludes with a section on lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"SuperSurya" is a novel, patented hybrid solar concentrating cogeneration system intended to synergistically and cost-effectively harvest both (a) electricity and (b) usable heat for hot water heating and supplementary building heat & optionally swimming pool heating. The electric power is harvested with a low-concentration CPV (concentrated photovoltaic) subsystem using a linear receiver and framed inflatable concentrating mirrors, building upon earlier demonstration of inflatable heliostat technology by RIC Enterprises with some Department Of Energy support. In the SuperSurya configuration, two-axis heliostatic tracking is used to optimize solar energy harvest, and a liquid cooling system uses a heat transfer fluid to convert waste heat from the CPV cooling system into value-added usable heat. Where conventional solar panels only convert around 15 - 20% of incident sunlight into beneficial use for electricity and waste the remaining 80 - 85%; with this cogeneration invention SuperSurya will be targeted to potentially convert 60% of incident sunlight into beneficial use (15 - 20% for electricity, 40 - 45% for usable heat). RIC Enterprises, a Washington State nonprofit corporation, and West Sound Technical Skills Center, a distinctive Washington State technical education institution, are working together collaboratively to design, build and test a full-scale prototype of SuperSurya, the first of its kind in the world. Future offshore versions can efficiently harvest electricity with combined CPV and solar thermal subsystems & synergistically perform low-temperature desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the methods for reaching rural citizens of all ages to communicate information regarding solar power and sustainability. In the Ozarks, citizens are genuinely interested in solar power but may not trust the technology intially, perhaps they are cost conscious or perhaps they may not have direct access to reliable, detailed information on the subject. In many cases, these individuals still lack access to the Internet. Big solar providers tend to be located in major cities and it's often troublesome for rural families to travel regularly to these hubs. I explore techniques for reaching this demographic with greater ease. I draw from personal experience and have analyzed approaches from within the small town of Rolla, Missouri. More specifically, I have analyzed the role Missouri University of Science and Technology has played in getting complex topics like solar power to the general populace. Often, the target population are of a lower income tax bracket and big solar companies may discredit the rural population for that reason. Methods for reaching these individuals must be encouraged and well understood. The future is the sun, but we must not forget citizens in hard to reach areas. If one listens to the community, more often than not, they are willing to take the risk of a small array but require a different approach of spreading the word about solar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar power is still not competitive with other sources in Brazil due to its operating cost and to the lack of investments and tax incentives, even though the country has a high incidence of sunlight. There are also challenges regarding to the regulatory model. In order to expand the electric system and not to be totally dependent on large hydroelectric plants, the Brazilian Government needs to develop a policy diversifying its electric matrix and investing in solar, both on large and small scale, as the distributed generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar Energy is the present and the future for Egypt. In remote areas, spraying pesticides is done by hand work and fuel sprayers. Solar-Powered Sprayer (SPS) is an innovative product developed for agricultural applications, which utilizes the solar energy as a fuel to be used for spraying the pesticides, Fungicides and Fertilizers. The solar energy is stored in the Lead Acid batter which powers DC pump and LED and the pump is used for extracting the atmospheric air with solute flow to the hose to the nozzle. In the nozzle, both the solute and pressurized air are mixed for spaying. LED Lamp is powered by the stored energy for nightly use for near lighting. The conventional sprayers cost EGP 3,500, but the developed Solar-Powered one costs only EGP 1,100[2]. This Proposed model presents an efficient and economical way of spraying pesticides, Fungicides and Fertilizers and this model .is more reliable and durable for the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an alternative to the typical value-of-solar (VOS) analytic approach for supporting utility acquisition of local, distributed solar, relative to centralized solar resources. The specific context is resource acquisition for a community-solar program. The utility in this case could acquire (by ownership or power contract) solar from a centralized solar project for a relatively low cost, or it could include a portfolio of local, commercial-scale solar projects with higher "sticker price," but strategic benefits. This case sheds light on the utility's internal-stakeholder debate and on the limitations of detailed bottom-up VOS analysis for some kinds of utility solar decisions. The recommended approach involves building a qualitative, strategic argument, which focuses on relatively few calculated values--three in this case, including strategicdesign improvement, reduced transmission costs, and customer-retention value. In other cases, other values or ranges of values might be used. The objective is to apply analytics sparingly, to facilitate better decisionmaking under highly changeable technology, market, and policy conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2012, more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students, mostly from San José State University, but including other domestic and international institutions, have been driving innovation in the development of solar-powered automated transit networks (ATNs) through the Spartan Superway project. Functional models at full and partial scales of a solar-powered, suspended-vehicle ATN have been constructed and demonstrated in public exhibitions. Research and development continues toward developing a fully-operational test track as well as planning for implementation in the Silicon Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system will be described which combines several different types of solar thermal collectors with a specific arrangement of valves to optimize the collection of heat and (if needed) the collection of cold. The collection of both heat and cold (dissipation of heat) is possible by using unglazed collectors as part of the system. The system may also include a type of seasonal underground thermal energy storage which is an extension of concepts already in use at Drake Landing Solar Community in Alberta, Canada and ICAX Limited in London, England. The results of simulating the underground heat transfer and thermal storage will be displayed. Factors that could impact the performance of underground heat storage will be discussed, including climate, building location, underground/soil thermal condition, building heating/cooling demands, heat dissipation/loss from the ground, etc. There will be a need to optimize many of the system parameters, such as dimensions, material properties, flow rates, etc. to get the best result for any specific building or set of buildings. It is our expectation that systems such as those described here could be significantly more cost-effective than systems in use currently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New Mexico over the past 15 years or so, hundreds of successful Solar Hydronic Combi-Systems have been installed using a systematic design strategy now known as the "New Standard". This well-proven, cookbook approach is the closest thing to 'plug and play' for solar/hydronics in whole buildings to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MDA Information Systems, LLC developed a solar irradiance and power forecasting system based on a first principles science foundation employing high-quality scientific datasets such as AERONET and SURFRAD and utilizing the REST2 clear sky model as an underlying basis for the full-sky forecast. Real-time inputs include a diverse multi-model ensemble of numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecasts, ground-based solar monitoring observations and proprietary observations of solar power from client sites, and visible satellite imagery. Forecasts were made for challenging locations where daytime cumulus clouds and occasional storm systems passing through resulted in variability on time scales of minutes, hours, and days. This paper focuses on lessons learned from our experience with real-world data and real-world power and irradiance forecasts. Topics include quality control of irradiance and power observations, sub-hourly variability and inverter-limited sites, tracking angles for single-axis trackers, and situational bias of NWP forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SolarPVAnalyst 2.0 is a tool, currently under development, that supports spatial decision making related to solar energy. This paper demonstrates a case study of SolarPVAnalyst 2.0, applied to assesses the impacts of PV siting and capacity growth on regional utility loads. In the absence of large-scale storage or other alternative forms of mediation, increased PV capacity is expected to lead to rapid changes in load that will require rapid response from traditional generation, and have been cited as an obstacle to successful growth of distributed rooftop solar generation. Rooftop segments identified by SolarPVAnalyst 2.0 were used to simulate deployment of PV installations throughout the city of Philadelphia. The installations were categorized by their approximate azimuth and tilt. Different solar growth strategies emphasizing a mix of solar deployment distributed among the cardinal directions azimuth groups were compared with regard to their impact on the regional net electricity demand, and load ramp rates throughout the year. Similar analyses enabled by SolarPVAnalyst could be used to predict the degree of challenge that increased growth of solar capacity poses to utility operation, and to create strategies to encourage development (e.g. through the use of targeted incentives) that could favorably mitigate the net demand impacts. Analyses can be multi-scalar, by examining spatially explicit load profiles at the city scale, neighborhood scale, or at the scale of an individual sub-station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional forms of power generation could on their own be the sole supplier of power. This is not true of PV, which raises the question of what the limits are and how best to operate and modify the grid to maximize the limits. Here we analyze distributed PV since it is the most problematic and currently has the fastest growth. We study bounds on limits to distributed PV based on its generation profile compared with the grid demand profile. We use data collected over two years from two postal codes, one in New Jersey and one in California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two categories of models can be used to predict direct normal irradiance (DNI) for solar concentration or tracking photovoltaic applications. The first type are broadband radiative models that predict DNI under clear skies from atmospheric data. The second are methods used to extract DNI from global horizontal irradiance (GHI). While many validation studies have been done on the latter the former have only been evaluated in localized studies of a dozen or fewer sites and those mostly in the USA [1,2]. We propose to do a global validation of the REST2 direct irradiance model at 100+ locations world wide against both GHI and DNI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares probability-of-exceedance values (P-values) for photovoltaic systems derived using multiple years of Vaisala's 3TIER Services weather data to those derived using a Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) based on the same resource data. Both approaches were used to estimate the year-1 yield of eighteen Megawatt-scale photovoltaic projects located in different parts of North America, South America and Asia. Pvalues in the TMY case were derived by using the standard deviation of annual global horizontal insolation as a proxy for inter-annual variability. All other uncertainties were treated identically in both approaches. Since our analysis included only eighteen case studies, we supplemented it by examining extreme cases where the differences between the two approaches should be maximum, namely cases where inter-annual variability dominates all other uncertainties. P50 values derived from a 3TIER Services TMY are usually within 0.5% of those derived using a full time series. Meanwhile, other P-values derived using a TMY exhibited a positive bias, indicating that this approach systematically underestimates uncertainty. A simple method for removing this bias was developed using ten projects as a training data set, and tested on the remaining eight projects. Overall, differences in P90 and P99 values are typically less than 1%, but can reach up to 2-5% in extreme cases. These results can serve as benchmarks for deciding whether and when TMY analysis is good enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will describe the process and product of Cal Poly's U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2015 entry. The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition in which teams of faculty and students work to design, build, and compete with solar powered residences. There are ten individual contests involved in the Decathlon, including measured as well as juried tasks. The team from Cal Poly [called "Solar Cal Poly"] included faculty and students predominantly from architecture and engineering but also included members from four colleges and over ten disciplines (involving over 100 students over the 2 year project). The handson nature of this design/build/operate competition offers faculty an opportunity to work in tandem with students in an attempt to put their ecological ideals (as they relate to the build environment) into action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is near universal agreement that the utility sector is in the midst of a transformation. The 100-year-old model of centralized generation and one-way power flow is being disrupted by alternative energy technologies that enable customers to generate and store their own electricity. Recent surveys of utility executives confirm the conclusion that traditional utility business models need to change as a result of these (and other) disruptive forces. New technologies, renewable portfolio standards, and federal carbon regulations have created a minefield of issues and challenges for the electric utility industry. As incumbent utilities grapple with the daunting challenge of reinventing themselves, the pioneering work at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) provides a credible foundation from which to construct a newage road map for utilities going forward. Methods and strategies employed by SMUD in the 1990s and 2000s can help utilities of all types successfully navigate this disruptive transition to a clean energy future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living through exponential growth can be both exhilarating and hazardous. The solar industry has experienced both sides of this challenge. Installed solar capacity has grown globally from barely 1 gigawatt in 2000 to over 5 gigawatts in 2005 to an expected 320 gigawatts by the end of this yeari, as costs have plummeted by 70 percent over the past decade.ii Forecasts now call for a tenfold power surge, to 3,000 GW, by 2030. Growth that multiplies this fast can be both deceptive and dangerous to those who depend on the sustainability of sustainability. At the same time that new capacity has been roughly doubling every year, we've seen a string of business failures, most notably the news that the industry's largest player, SunEdison, has fallen into bankruptcy with $16 billion in liabilitiesiii, one of the largest non-financial business failures in history. There are red flags and warning signs that put the entire industry at risk. The precarious financials of Solar City recently induced founder Elon Musk to arrange for his other company, Tesla Motors, to acquire it in a financial rescue. The solar industry needs to come to terms with the fact that growing at such a breakneck pace with even slightly wrong business models can be a "train wreck," as one former CEO put it, with companies collapsing into bankruptcy faster and faster. The solar sector needs to focus as much effort on innovating the way it makes money as it does on innovating the way it produces technology. This paper highlights the obstacles that industry leaders face while also pointing the way toward solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the concept of integrating smart electronics into ordinary objects so that all these devices can work together to provide advanced services to their user. Estimates of the value of this market are in the trillions and are recognized by market surveys and company estimates. Conventional wired power is not appropriate for all IoT devices. Of available energy harvesting techniques, solar is one of the most mature, robust and energy dense solutions. A case study of the design of a solar powered window shade is reviewed. Methods to ensure the prototype can: cheaply optimize power generation, operate robustly and function with energy neutrality are reviewed. These design techniques could be applied to other solar powered IoT devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate forecasts of a utility's electrical load--the power it provides to its customers--are important for the utility's energy production, distribution and trading operations. Recently, the growing penetration of customers' distributed solar power production "behind the meter" has begun to affect net load, reducing demand during sunny periods and increasing net load variability under rapidly changeable weather conditions. The National Center for Atmospheric Research has developed a forecast system that utilizes weather information and historical data to provide shortterm distributed solar cutout and net electrical load forecasts. The system utilizes forecasts of key meteorological variables from the NCAR-developed Dynamic Integrated forecast (DICast®) system to produce hourly 0-168 hour load forecasts. An historical database of observed load, solar production, distributed solar installations, and weather variables is analyzed using statistical learning methods to create the forecast models. Such forecasts will facilitate utilities' integration of an increasing base of distributed solar installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 10 years, the U.S. solar energy market has exploded but challenges remain for solar to become a significant share of the U.S. energy portfolio. The industry is poised to expand solar in diverse markets ranging from residential, commercial, utility and government clients. All have different perceptions and understanding of the benefits of solar energy. So how can advocates, company and industry trade representatives communicate most effectively and consistently? This paper presents the most effective communications strategies and messaging themes to reach customers, business partners, utilities and government agencies. Findings from a new survey along with recent public polls are included to illustrate the most effective messaging for solar companies and advocates alike as well as key decision-making segments. Top messaging themes are identified to inform marketing and public affairs efforts needed to support continued growth of the U.S. solar energy market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1989, a small group of solar companies provided portable solar electric (photovoltaic) devices to a few survivors of Hurricane Hugo who were without power for lights, communication, water, medical equipment and other necessities. At that time, the solar industry was producing consumer items and stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) systems with energy storage that happened to meet the need for electricity caused by the hurricane. As a result, a new market was born. None of the items sent to the impacted area were originally designed for disaster relief, but they were amenable to disaster relief energy needs. The solar industry has since learned much about disasters and disaster relief entities have learned about the value of solar applications. More solar products are being designed for use during power outages and as emergency power backup systems. Utility power is becoming more resilient and reliable as renewable energy sources are implemented into distributive generation and microgrid applications. Sustainability using renewables results in disaster resistance buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar 3.0, an activity funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) SunShot Initiative and managed by SolarTech, is an outreach and educational initiative delivering process innovation through standardization of local land use, zoning code ordinances, permitting processes and interconnection rules for distributed solar photovoltaics (PV).The Solar 3.0 team comprises non-profit organizations, private companies, professional associations, and solar advocacy groups, creating a unique cross-section of expertise to support the team's activities. The goal of Solar 3.0 is to achieve a 50% reduction in nonhardware balance of system (BOS) costs, or "soft costs," in identified U.S. communities by 2014. Solar 3.0 will achieve this objective by identifying and implementing innovative, scalable regulatory approaches and process enhancements across multiple levels of government and industry. Total funding for the Solar 3.0 project is $2.5M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of \Solar on State" is to install a solar array on The Pennsylvania State University's University Park campus that will provide a clean and renewable source of electricity generation. Providing economic justification for photovoltaics in an area with a moderate solar resource and a very low cost of electricity can be a significant challenge. However, in a creative and educational environment, there are additional benefits to using solar energy that can justify the project, other than energy savings and a reduced carbon footprint. The opportunity to use the solar array as an educational tool in a variety of course curricula provides a major benefit to the university, but this must be planned for in order to maximize these benefits. Another benefit of the project is the publicity the university would receive for its strides towards sustainability, but this must be planned for by installing the solar array in a highly visible location. Multiple sources of funding will be tapped into in order to pay for the initial cost of the project such as the money allotted to the Once of the Physical Plant's Energy Savings Projects, support from colleges who plan to use the array as an educational tool, as well as donations from alumni and corporations, specifically those in the solar field. Solar companies which donate their time to the making the project a reality will have the opportunity to build working relationships with knowledgeable and motivated students through the design and implementation process of the solar array. The \Solar on State" model can be used as a guide to implementation for campuses around the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the weather risk associated with a portfolio of solar photovoltaic assets, with focus on correlations and their impact on portfolios of common solar contracts. Portfolios of solar assets face a variety of risks including weather, equipment, operations and maintenance, installation quality, utility rates and credit risk. Some of these risks, like credit risk, are common to many asset classes. Others, like sunlight and weather risks, are less common risks for an asset class to have. In this paper, the volatility of weather risk was analyzed across a number of different geographic regions in order to determine how well weather risk for a portfolio can be diversified away by geographically dispersing solar installations. It was found that both monthly and yearly correlations decrease with distance, though the trend for yearly correlation is less strong. This paper provides insight into the weather risks of solar asset portfolios and is relevant to all parties involved in sourcing, financing, or modeling the risk of PV portfolios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models to compute global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and direct normal irradiance (DNI) have been in development over the last three decades. These models can be classified as empirical or physical based on the approach. Empirical models relate ground-based observations with satellite measurements and use these relations to compute surface radiation. Physical models consider the physics behind the radiation received at the satellite and create retrievals to estimate surface radiation. While empirical methods have been traditionally used for computing surface radiation for the solar energy industry, the advent of faster computing has made operational physical models viable. The Global Solar Insolation Project (GSIP) uses a physical model that computes DNI and GHI using the visible and infrared channel measurements from a weather satellite. GSIP uses a two-stage scheme that first retrieves cloud properties and uses those properties in a radiative transfer model to calculate GHI and DNI. Developed for polar orbiting satellites, GSIP has been adapted to NOAA's Geostationary Operation Environmental Satellite series and can run operationally at high spatial resolutions. This method holds the possibility of creating high quality datasets of GHI and DNI for use by the solar energy industry. Various radiative transfer models are being considered for improving the GSIP datasets. We will present results of this research and a comparison of improvement from using various radiative transfer models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IEC 62108¹ historically is the most important performance testing standard for concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) modules. UL 8703³ has been issued as an Outline of Investigation and there is a new IEC safety standard 626882 due to be released in 2013. For US market entry, UL Subject 8703 is required but other UL safety tests will be required for the solar tracker and the other applicable new UL standards that will be discussed. For international market entry, CPV manufacturers must gain certification to IEC 62108. The test sequence for IEC 62688 is designed to coordinate with that of IEC 62108 so that a single set of samples may be used to perform both the safety and performance evaluation of a CPV module. Incorporating UL Subject 8703 testing can be blended with the requirements of both IEC standards for performance and safety, and the combined testing offers manufacturers many benefits including faster access to the market and lower costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the societal benefits of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, beyond just the energy creation and environmental benefits. The paper highlights experiences of nonprofit organizations that have successfully implemented PV technology and expanded their missions through participation in NV Energy's RenewableGenerations program. The paper will 1) introduce the RenewableGenerations program; 2) examine funding strategies and models that encourage nonprofit participation; 3) illustrate how to take advantage of positive PR initiatives that support greater participation in a solar PV program and 4) provide several examples of nonprofit organizations that have enhanced their communities through electricity cost savings from the implementation of solar PV measures. Nonprofits often provide immediate and consistent support to their communities without the security of a steady income. Fortunately, these organizations are one of the program's many eligible customer sectors. Therefore, RenewableGenerations is able to implement solar PV measures at little to no cost to the customer by combining program rebates with creative financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moving the location of the electric utility metering of solar power systems from the AC side of the inverter to the DC side is a cost-effective way to get electric utilities into solar power generation, while dramatically simplifying and lowering the installation costs for customers. The location of the electric utility meter typically defines the point of the electric utility's responsibility and control. Customers only have to be concerned with installing the solar PV modules, while leaving the rest of the interconnection issues up to the electric utility. Moving the metering point to the DC side allows the electric utility to own and operate the inverter like a typical transformer. Utilities do not need electrical permits for their work and they have access to low-cost financing to pay for the purchase, installation and maintenance costs of the inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosion in outdoor environments is a topic that is gaining attention in the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry. Simple oxidation, galvanic, and crevice corrosion are mechanisms by which metals deteriorate when exposed to the elements. The rate and extent of corrosion depends on several factors, including environmental conditions such as moisture, temperature and pH. Galvanic action is also a common accelerator of corrosion, caused by dissimilar metals in contact with each other in the presence of an electrolyte (such as salt water). The impact of corrosion depends on the item being attacked - a large steel beam, or a small electrical connection. With regards to solar PV grounding and bonding, small electrical connections are the targets of corrosion, and the impact of such failed connections could be extensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]