Requirements for a standard test to rate the durability of photovoltaic (PV) modules at system voltage are discussed.

This presentation is about the Wind-to-Hydrogen Project at NREL, part of the Renewable Electrolysis task and the examination of a grid-tied, co-located wind electrolysis hydrogen production facility.

This presentation summarizes project goals; vehicle and H2 station deployment status, critical performance compared to targets; highlights of latest vehicle and infrastructure analysis results and progress; learning demo next steps; highlights of partner activities and summary.

EERE's Solar Energy Technologies Program is charged with leading the Secretary's SunShot Initiative to reduce the cost of electricity from solar by 75% to be cost competitive with conventional energy sources without subsidy by the end of the decade. As part of this Initiative, the program has funded the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop module manufacturing and solar PV system installation cost models to ensure that the program's cost reduction targets are carefully aligned with current and near term industry costs. The NREL cost analysis team has leveraged the laboratories' extensive experience in the areas of project finance and deployment, as well as industry partnerships, to develop cost models that mirror the project cost analysis tools used by project managers at leading U.S. installers. The cost models are constructed through a "bottoms-up" assessment of each major cost element, beginning with the system's bill of materials, labor requirements (type and hours) by component, site-specific charges, and soft costs. In addition to the relevant engineering, procurement, and construction costs, the models also consider all relevant costs to an installer, including labor burdens and overhead rates, supply chain costs, and overhead and materials inventory costs, and assume market-specific profits.

Degradation modes in photovoltaic modules under system bias voltage stress are described and classified.

Tests to make quantitative predictions about photovoltaic (PV) modules are needed. This presentation proposes the creation of international quality assurance standards for PV modules.

This presentation outlines an analysis of alternate methods to obtain stabilized power performance of CdTe and CIGS PV modules.

The ability to accurately predict power delivery over the course of time is of vital importance to the growth of the photovoltaic (PV) industry. Two key cost drivers are the efficiency with which sunlight is converted to power and secondly how this relationship develops over time. The accurate knowledge of power decline over time, also known as degradation rates, is essential and important to all stakeholders--utility companies, integrators, investors, and scientists alike. Different methods to determine degradation rates and discrete versus continuous data are presented, and some general best practice methods are outlined. In addition, historical degradation rates and some preliminary analysis with respect to climate are given.

This presentation outlines the modeling of thermal fatigue in concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) assemblies.

This PowerPoint presentation summarizes a proposed methodology for LEED baseline refrigeration modeling. The presentation discusses why refrigeration modeling is important, the inputs of energy models, resources, reference building model cases, baseline model highlights, example savings calculations and results.

Module data from NREL's CPV test bed is used to examine methods for calculating outdoor CPV power ratings. IEC 62670 and ASTM E2527 are used as a starting point for determining a module power rating on a monthly basis. Monthly power ratings vary by more than desired using existing methods. The presentation examines modifications to existing methods as well as spectral corrections to reduce variation in monthly module power ratings.

The presentation describes the value of adding DC converters and other power electronics to modules to improve their output even when shading or bad cells would otherwise decrease the module output. The presentation was part of a workshop sponsored by ARPA-E exploring the opportunities for power electronics to support PV applications.

One would hope that PV modules are designed for survival in the outdoors. However, it appears that some module types are really designed to pass the qualification (IEC 61216/61646) and safety (IEC 61730 and UL 1703) tests. While this has resulted in an overall increase in module reliability and a reduction in infant mortality, it may not result in the most cost-effective solution for long-term reliability and minimum power degradation. This paper will provide several examples of module types and even solar cells designed to pass the tests that do not result in good cost-effective long-term solutions for outdoor performance. This presentation is meant to stimulate a discussion about how to remedy this situation and improve the overall PV industry.

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Presentation for biennial merit review of Biofuels Atlas, a first-pass visualization tool that allows users to explore the potential of biomass-to-biofuels conversions at various locations and scales.

Presentation provides an overview of NREL's project to determine compatibility and safe performance of installed fuel dispensing infrastructure with E15.

Because of the sensitivity of some photovoltaic devices to moisture-induced corrosion, they are packaged using impermeable front- and back-sheets with an edge seal to prevent moisture ingress. Evaluation of edge seal materials can be difficult because of the low permeation rates involved and/or non-Fickian behavior. Here, using a Ca film deposited on a glass substrate, we demonstrate the evaluation of edge seal materials in a manner that effectively duplicates their use in a photovoltaic application and compare the results with standard methods for measuring water vapor transport. We demonstrate how moisture permeation data from polymer films can be used to estimate moisture ingress rates and compare the results of these two methods. Encapsulant materials were also evaluated for comparison and to highlight the need for edge seals. Of the materials studied, dessicant-filled polyisobutene materials demonstrate by far the best potential to keep moisture out for a 20 to 30 year lifetime.