Interior Secretary Visits Sandia
Secretary
of the Interior Sally Jewell joined the Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack, Senator Martin
Heinrich, U.S Representative Ben Ray Lujan, and Bureau of Land Management
officials for a tour of the National
Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) at Sandia in early January. During her
visit to NSTTF, Jewell announced approval of the SunZia Southwest Transmission
Project. The group also received briefings about concentrating solar power falling
particle receivers, water research projects, and Sandia’s Tribal
Energy Program.
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Sandians Awarded Best Paper at Global PV Conference
A team including Sandians Cliff
Hansen, Katherine Klise, and Joshua Stein was recognized in November with a Best Paper Award at the 6th
World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion. “Photovoltaic System Model Calibration Using Monitored System
Data” details the
team’s work to calibrate solar photovoltaic (PV) module performance models
using data collected outdoors on fixed-tilt orientation PV modules. This
fixed-tilt data method enhances the ability to characterize PV modules in
actual operating conditions, compared to validation using data collected outdoors
on a two-axis tracker or indoors with a solar simulator. Researchers from Tokyo
Institute of Technology and NTT Facilities in Tokyo, Japan, co-authored the report.
Sandia Releases Tool to Simplify PV Modeling
Sandia has released its Grid
Integrated Distributed PV (GridPV) toolbox and manual, available
through the PV Performance Modeling Collaborative. The GridPV Toolbox provides MATLAB functions
to build upon and expand the capabilities of the Electric Power Research Institute’s
OpenDSS modeling tool. GridPV enhances the modeling of grid impacts resulting from increasing amounts of solar photovoltaics (PV) on the electric distribution
system.
The toolbox accelerates and simplifies the
modeling needed to integrate PV generation into the electric power system by
combining electric power distribution system models created in OpenDSS with MATLAB
functions to provide improved solar modeling, advanced analysis, and
visualization capabilities. Features include the ability to model solar
variability for distributed PV plants of various sizes, power factor and
reactive power control functionality, and analyses of central and distributed
plants. The toolbox supports time-series and steady-state simulations, and
accommodates GIS functionality through Google Maps.
Sandia Researcher Profiled as Top Professional in Energy
 Sandia researcher
Kenneth Armijo was profiled in the fall 2014 edition of Hispanic
Engineer and Information Technology magazine.
The feature highlights professionals educated at Hispanic-serving organizations
in hopes of motivating the next generation of Hispanic students to consider
STEM (science, technology, math, and engineering) careers. Armijo supports solar
photovoltaic (PV) systems and distributed energy research at Sandia, including PV
arc fault and ground fault detection.
Armijo will be
recognized at the Emerald Honors and Trailblazers Dinner in
Washington, D.C., on February 5.
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 SolarReserve Testing Prototype Heliostats at NSTTF
Concentrating solar power company SolarReserve is testing engineering
units at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) operated by Sandia. The
company says it decided to test its prototype heliostats at NSTTF because of
Sandia’s, “knowledge and reputation in the solar industry, as well as the
breadth of resources available for improving and testing new designs.”
SolarReserve is focused on developing advanced heliostat
designs and control algorithms that will significantly reduce overall project
cost while increasing annual electricity production. SolarReserve heliostat innovation
areas include nimble structure design, high precision and efficient drive
systems, ultra-light and high reflectivity mirror facets, and various
heliostats and collector field control, power and communication systems.
Current activities are focused on two types of heliostats: A more traditional
design with a foundation and pedestal, with trusses and spars supporting a
large (70–120 square meter) multi-faceted mirror array driven by separate
azimuth and elevation systems; and a smaller (1–4 square meter) heliostat with an
integrated tip/tilt system driving a single facet mirror that can be easily
deployed and does not require any onsite manufacturing facility.
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Sandia Supports Research on Home Sale Premiums Related to PV Systems
Sandia researcher Geoff Klise was part
of a team that investigated whether
home buyers are willing to pay more for homes with solar photovoltaic (PV)
systems. Led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, the researchers analyzed approximately 22,000 home sales from 1999
to 2003. Of these sales, 4,000 were homes with PV systems. The study concluded that
home buyers have consistently been willing to pay up to a $15,000 premium for a
typical PV system. The study also found incremental increases in this premium
as PV system size increased. The work is detailed in a report published by
Berkeley Lab, “Selling Into
the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of Solar Homes.” The
research was supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative.
 RTC Weather and Irradiance Data Available Online
Weather and solar irradiance data from
four of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Regional Test Centers (RTCs) are now
available on a dedicated data Web
page. The site provides weekly data on global and diffuse horizontal
irradiance, ambient temperature, direct normal irradiance, wind speed,
humidity, and rainfall for RTC sites in New Mexico,
Florida, Nevada, and Vermont. Users
can zoom in on time frames of interest and can export, print, and save data. The
data facilitate comparisons among the sites, which are intended to provide divergent
climate conditions in which to demonstrate and validate new solar technologies.
The RTCs were established as part of DOE’s SunShot
Initiative, which aims to accelerate solar photovoltaic deployment in the
United States. The RTCs provide independent testing and performance data to
support commercialization of new technologies and help develop standardized
protocols for PV system validation. The centers are co-managed by Sandia and
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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Sandia Research on PV Arc Fault Detection Submitted for U.S. Patent
Sandia researchers recently submitted an application for a U.S.
patent related to research
on arc fault detection and circuit interruption in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
String- and array-level arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) are intended to
de-energize the PV system when an arc fault is detected. In the case of
parallel arc faults, however, opening the AFCI does not extinguish the arc and
can actually make the arc worse, increasing the risk of fire. In order to avoid this, the AFCI
must be able to discern between series and parallel faults. Sandia’s
patent-pending methods, filed as Identifying an Arc-Fault Type in
Photovoltaic Arrays, allow AFCIs to distinguish between series and
parallel faults. The research was
conducted in collaboration with Tigo Energy.
External Link Disclaimer: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement of the external Web site, the information, products or services contained therein.
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A
Performance Model for Photovoltaic Modules with Integrated Microinverters,
D.M. Riley, C.W. Hansen, M. Farr
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Photovoltaic Microinverter Testbed for Multiple Device
Interoperability, J.E. Quiroz, S. Gonzalez, B. King, D. Riley, J. Johnson, J. Stein
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PV Reliability Operations and Maintenance (PVROM) Database
Initiative: 2014 Progress Report, G.T. Klise, R.R. Hill, C.J. Hamman, P.H. Kobos, V. Gupta, B.B. Yang
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Solar
PV O&M Standards and Best Practices – Existing Gaps and Improvement Efforts,
G.T. Klise, J.R. Balfour (High Performance PV), and T.J., Keating (SunSpec Alliance)
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Sampling
and Filtering in Photovoltaic System Performance Monitoring, A. Driesse, J.S. Stein, D. Riley, C. Carmignani
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