Page 17 - North American Clean Energy March April 2016

Glass-free, frameless solar modules
Giga Solar high-e ciency crystalline-silicon, lightweight photovoltaic (PV) modules have successfully completed a series of environmental and mechanical stress tests at the CFV Solar Test Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. is work was part of the Boston-based Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems’ Plug-and-Play PV Project, funded by the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. Giga Solar’s high-e ciency, crystalline-silicon, lightweight modules enable innovative, low-cost rooftop mounting methods. Because Giga Solar’s modules are glass-free and frameless, they can be ush-mounted directly onto the roof, avoiding the need for racking hardware, eliminating roof penetrations, and shortening the installation time. ese bene ts all contribute to lowering the cost of solar electricity. Testing was performed in two categories - environmental and mechanical. e environmental tests were a modi ed subset of the IEC-61215 protocol, a PV module performance standard used by the solar industry worldwide. Environmental testing included hail impact + 50 thermal cycles, 1000 hours
of damp heat exposure and 500 thermal cycles. e mechanical tests, including various bending and localized pressure tests, were custom designed by Fraunhofer CSE to simulate the forces a lightweight module would encounter during transportation and installation.
Giga Solar FPC, Inc. | www.gigasolarpv.com
With such precise data at their ngertips, solar professionals and system owners
can now easily and accurately identify performance challenges (in the above
case, likely a failed diode) and rapidly resolve problems. e result is a win-win; technicians can more e ciently manage portfolios from a central location and identify problems before setting foot at the project site. is gives O&M providers a “Know Before You Go” advantage. ey can load the truck with the correct parts to x the issue the rst time. Less on-site maintenance calls (also known as “truck rolls”) for the professional means a lower support cost and the ability to support more sites more e ciently. Plus, system owners win with less system downtime eating into their pro ts.
Since the MLPE devices are persistently connected to the array, they are able to store data in the cloud for the system’s entire lifetime. By analyzing historical project data in a monitoring portal ( gure 4), module-level monitoring
and management tools can also help stakeholders evaluate and predict system performance, and nancial returns, for a given period. is comparative year-over- year snapshot enables smarter nancial planning for the system owner.
As the global solar market continues to grow at a record pace, project owners and service professionals are recognizing the need to minimize risk and make better- informed decisions on how to support their PV assets for 25 years or more. With the breadth of capabilities o ered, it’s no wonder that MLPE devices connected to cloud-based monitoring portals are taking root as a de-facto, dashboard-like solution for e cient problem solving, and an indispensable component of lucrative long- term PV investments.
Peter Mathews leads the North America
team as general manager for SolarEdge in the Americas and is responsible for all business activities. He is a veteran of more than 25 years in the global semiconductor and solar industries in senior sales, marketing, and business development roles. He has led various companies through the start-up, IPO, and growth phases including Enecsys, Solyndra, and FormFactor.
SolarEdge | www.solaredge.com
Clipping Right Along
Long-lasting, Customizable Wire Management Clips
Wiley Cable Clips simplify wire management and create a cleaner look
to solar PV arrays. Able to last a lifetime, the corrosion resistant 304 stainless steel clips are a durable solution for all environments. Coined edges prevent damage to cable insulation. The design is easy to install and no tools are required. Clips can be used in a wide variety of mounting con gurations (including 90-degree) for module and rail applications. Custom designs are available upon request.
Wiley ACC Cable Clips are a high-quality wire management solution
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