Lighting the Way: How the Government is Helping Advance the Solar Industry
Posted September 14th, 2012
With fossil fuel consumption on the rise and only a finite supply available, the stakes continue to grow in the quest for sources of renewable energy. One of the options that has long been available, but vastly underutilized, is solar power. Enter the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which has joined manufacturers in the fight to develop more durable photovoltaic panel technologies and convince consumers that they are reliable enough to use.
As a neutral third party, the NREL helps set reliability standards for the solar industry, and test new products from a variety of manufacturers. Recently, they tackled three of the key problems that have been plaguing the industry, and here’s what they found:
Seals: Even though they’re exposed to precipitation on a regular basis, solar modules must keep out moisture or they will fail. At NREL, edge seals are tested against UV radiation, temperature, humidity and stress. By testing multiple types of seals, the lab can help manufacturers determine which materials to proceed with, and which will not hold up under environmental pressures.
Panel Creep: Solar modules use two pieces of adhered glass that have been known in the past to move or creep if temperatures change. Even a one-centimeter shift can expose live wires, causing shorts, arcing or even fires. A course of testing by NREL using modules from a variety of manufacturers showed that today’s materials are doing an excellent job of minimizing creep – which removes a key stumbling block to widespread implementation of solar technology.
Cell Overheating: Epoxy in the PV panels eventually fatigues with prolonged exposure to the elements, but the time it takes for an attachment to go bad can vary greatly depending upon weather conditions. By using high-frequency weather data to simulate a variety of locales, the NREL is helping manufacturers to develop the ability to make real-life predictions for durability based on specific geographic locations. This can help companies set realistic warranties and customize recommended inspection and maintenance schedules for customers all over the country – or the world.
By using component testing to weed out things like expensive bad designs, and discover the proper and improper ways to install good ones in a variety of locales and conditions, the NREL and solar manufacturers hope to develop products that are consistently safe, reliable and affordable. Only then will consumers be convinced to implement this much-needed, environmentally friendly technology on a wide-scale basis.
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