Thrust II - PV System Monitoring
Deliverables Promised vs. Accomplishments
Updated 4/9/2012
By Alex Cronin
Proposed
Accomplished
Target Date
Use TEP solar test yard a lab.
12 students installed 150 sensors on 22 May 2012:
PV systems & archive & stream data
70% done.
online for research use.
now upgrading
Address TEP large-system
research questions
Fluctuation analysis; Forecasting;
Smart Grid Studies; Regional studies.
May 2012:
50% done
TUV Outdoor monitoring
New monitoring service now available
May 2012:
100% done
Report Energy Yields,
Degradation Rates,
Forecasting Technologies
2 publications in 2010
5 publications in 2011
10 Publications in 2012
May 2012:
80% done
Evaluate new PV technologies
Working with 8 corporate affiliates.
Helping with 4 other test yards.
May 2012:
50% done
PV System Monitoring
System Monitoring consists of:
• Utility grade power meter reports Watt-hour increments of ac-energy yield
• New AC-power monitoring circuit boards installed.
Updated 4/9/2012
• New DC power monitoring by improved shunt resistors
• Module temperatures are monitored
• Measurements every 1-second are logged by
• New LabJack hardware & LabView code.
• New Irradiance sensors GHI, POA, DNI
Twenty four copies of hardware designed, assembled, programmed, and installed.
Data sent every 5 minutes to an SQL database at the UofA.
reports Vdc Idc Vac Iac phase angle, environmental conditions
Data are distributed on-line at www.UAPV.org ine
New Projects:
• IV-curves for studying degradation & forecasting
• Forecasting Camera – and cloud tracking algorithm
• Distributed generation data
• New PV test yards: Rosemont, UASTP, Biosphere2, All of Tucson
9 new slides show these 4 new projects
IV Curves from 6-yr old modules
8 Sanyo Modules
HIP-G751BA2
Pmax = 148 W in the field
Nameplate PSTC = 167 W
16 CIGS modules
Pmax =15 to 32 W in field
New Project 2012
9 Sharp modules
NEQ5E2U
Pmax = 96 to 147 W in field
Nameplate PSTC = 165 W
Shading
From
Overhead
cables
Shade
Effects
Fast Transient Studies
AC power has 80% dropouts in 5 seconds.
DC current (not V) fluctuates.
10/24/2011, Cronin gave a seminar at the ACC
on “How much Energy Storage will we need?”
using data on fluctuations.
Motivates better forecasting.
Project started 2011
Forecasting Cloud Events
GHI forecast (-30 hrs)
DNI forecast (-30 hrs)
30 hour in advance WRF forecasts
are impressive over large scales.
But validation with PV data shows
a need for better cloud forecasts
New Project 2012
Satellite image (0 hrs)
Forecasting Cloud Events
Cloud camera frame
and video analysis to
estimate cloud velocities.
Cloud arrival time can be
predicted 10 minutes in
advance.
This provides an early
warning for power plant
outages.
New Project 2012
Distributed Generation Data
Petra modules @ azimuths
PV data from 150 rooftops
New Project 2012
Forecasts based on DG
New Project 2012
Rosemont Copper Solar Proving Ground
Site A
Site B
Site C
Site D
started in 2011
Site E
Rosemont Copper Solar Proving Ground
Site A: Parsons Electric
 40 Energy Innovations Sunflower
modules
 2-axis tracking, high concentrating PV
system
 10.8kW rated dc power
- Inverter purposely undersized
Site B: EmpireCAT
 84 Kyocera KD235GX-LFB modules
 1-axis tracking, crystalline PV system
 19.7kW rated dc power
Site C: Solar Gain
 336 QS Solar modules
 Fixed tilt, amorphous-Si PV
5 December 2011
May contain confidential information
started in 2011
 20.7kw rated dc power
Site D: Solar Gain
 70 GSE Power Flex BIPV modules
 Fixed geomembrane, Copper Indium
Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) PV
 17.3kw rated dc power
- Some PV not well adhered to membrane
Site E: Solon
 72 Solon Black 280/09 modules
 Fixed tilt, crystalline silicon PV
 19.4kw rated dc power
- Inverter purposely undersized
- Early evening shading noticed
- System oriented West of South
More Solar Test Yards
UA tech park
UA Biosphere2
New slide 2012
TEP PV test yard, Tucson AZ
Slide from 2011
22 grid-tied PV systems studied
Tours for over 2000 people
Slide from 2011
New Technologies we are Field-Testing
Novel Thin Film BIPV deployments
Holographic PV concentrators
High Concentration (1000x) PV
Example Data
Slide from 2011
AC Output every minute shown for 2 days:
Data on-line at:
www.UAPV.org
Example Historical Data
Slide from 2011
Daily output from a 1.5 kW PV system
Average Yield = 5.3 h/day = 1935 kwh/kw/yr
Thrust II – Participants at UA
Principal Investigators:
Updated 4/9/2012
Alex Cronin, Ray Kostuk
Students:
Adria Brooks, Tucker Bundgard, Alex Hickey, Daniel
Cormode, Deanna Lewis, Nick Davidson, James Greenberg, Sarah
Jones, Ryan Price, Vincent Lonij, Sean Osbourne, Steve Pulver, Michael
St. Germaine, Anna Woschuitz, Niket Thakkar, Jose Castro, Derek
Zhang, Emily Kopp, Patty Hidalgo-Gonzalez
(20 total)
Collaborators: Tucson Electric Power (TEP), AZRISE, Biosphere 2,
SOLON Corporation, NREL, University of Arizona Graduate College,
Science Foundation Arizona, NASA Space Grant Consortium, Global
Solar, Prism Solar Technologies, Rosemont Copper, Semprius Inc.,
Rehnu inc., Green Volts, Freeport MacMoRan, Skyline Inc., SunPower,
GreenVolts Inc, Amonix, Fotowatio (FRV), Technicians for
Sustainability (TFS)
(21 total)
Thrust II New publications in 2012
Updated 4/9/2012
V.T. Jayadevan, J. Rodriguez, V.P.A.Lonij, and A.D. Cronin, “Forecasting solar power intermittency using ground-based cloud imaging,” 7-pg.
manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of American Solar Energy Society (ASES) meeting (2012)
V.P.A. Lonij, A.E. Brooks, J. Greenberg, S. Orsburn, A.D. Cronin, and G. Torres, “Field performance measurements of new and traditional PV
technologies” 8-pg. manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of American Solar Energy Society (ASES) meeting (2012)
A.E. Brooks, V.P.A. Lonij, A.D. Cronin, R.K.Kostuk, J.M. Russo, D.Zhang, S.Vorndran, “One year of field studies of holographic planar
concentrators at the Tucson Electric Power solar test yard” 8-pg. manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of American Solar Energy
Society (ASES) meeting (2012)
A.E. Brooks, N. Allen, V.P Lonij, and A.D. Cronin, “Evaluation of four geomembrane mounted PV systems for land reclamation in southern Arizona,”
manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSC) (2012)
V.P. Lonij, V.T. Jayadevan, A.E. Brooks, K. Koch, M. Leuthold, and A.D. Cronin, “Improving forecasts of PV power output using real-time
measurements of PV output of 100 residential PV installs,” 3-pg. manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of IEEE Photovoltaics
Specialists Conference (PVSC) (2012)
E.S. Kopp, P.L. Hidalgo-Gonzalez, A.E. Brooks, V.P.Lonij, and A.D. Cronin, “I-V curves from 300 modules deployed over 5-years in Tucson,” 3-pg
manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference(PVSC) (2012)
V.P.Lonij, A.E.Brooks, K. Koch, and A.D. Cronin, “Analysis of 100 rooftop PV systems in the Tucson, AZ area,” 3-pg manuscript accepted for
publication in the proceedings of IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSC) (2012)
J.Russo, D. Zhang, M. Gordon, S. Vorndran, J. Castillo, A. Brooks, V. Lonij, A. Cronin, and R.Kostuk, “Characterization of diffuse anisotropic
illumination effects to the output of bifacial and holographic planar concentrating photovoltaic panel configurations,” 3-pg manuscript submitted for
publication in the proceedings of IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSC) (2012)
P.L. Hidalgo-Gonzalez, A.E. Brooks, E.S.Kopp, V.P.Lonij, and A.D.Cronin, “String-level (Kw-scale) IV curves from different types of PV modules
under partial shade,” 3-pg manuscript accepted for publication in the proceedings of IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (PVSC) (2012)
Plus: 4 Progress reports to affiliates,
2 new NSF proposals, 6 new WEES (UA TRIF) Proposals
Thrust II publications in 2010-2011
Slide from 2011
 N.Thakkar, A. Cronin, D. Cormode, V. Lonij, “A Simple Nonlinear Model for the Effect of Partial Shade”, 35th IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists
Conference, Honolulu, HI 2010.
 S. Pulver, D. Cormode, A. Cronin, D. Jordan, S. Kurtz, R. Smith, “Measuring Degradation Rates Without Irradiance Data”, 35th IEEE Photovoltaics
Specialists Conference, Honolulu, HI (2010).
 D. Zhang, J. Castro, and R. K. Kostuk, ``One-Axis Tracking Holographic Planar Concentrator Systems,’’ submitted to Applied Optics November
2010.
 J. M. Castro, D. Zhang, B. Myer, and R. K. Kostuk, “Energy collection efficiency of holographic planar concentrators,” Appl. Opt., vol. 49, pp. 858870, Feb. 2010.
 R. K. Kostuk, J. Castro, and D. Zhang, ``Energy collection efficiency of low concentration holographic planar concentrators,’’ SPIE Optics +
Photonics, paper7769-01, San Diego, CA. Aug. 1-5, 2010 (Keynote Presentation).
 J. M. Castro, D. Zhang, and R. K. Kostuk, ``Planar holographic solar concentrators for low and medium ratio concentration systems,’’ OSA Optics
and Photonics Conference, Optics for Solar Energy, paper STuB3, 7-9 June 2010.
 D. Zhang, J. M. Castro, and R. K. Kostuk, ``Commercial CIGS solar cells for concentrator applications,’’ OSA Optics and Photonics Conference,
Optics for Solar Energy, paper SWD2, 7-9 June 2010.
 J. E. Castillo, J. M. Russo, R. K. Kostuk. G. A. Rosenberg, “Thermal effects of the extended holographic regions for holographic planar
concentrator”, Journal of Photonics for Energy, accepted (2011)
 A. Cronin, “Memo to TEP: RE: New derating chart for non-tracking PV systems” internal document 2011 Cronin,
V.Lonij, and A.Brooks “Performance Reviews From The Tucson Electric Power Solar Test Yard” Submitted to the IEEE PVSC 2011
 A. Cronin, J. E. Castillo, P. Hauser, G. Rosenberg, R. Kumar, R.K. Kostuk, D. Zhang, J. M. Russo, S. Vorndran, V. Lonij, A. Brooks, “Holographic
CPV Field Tests At The Tucson Electric Power Solar Test Yard” submitted to the IEEE PVSC 2011
 K. Ghosal, S. Burroughs, D. Lilly J. Gabriel, A. Cronin, A. Brooks, V. Lonji, P. Krause, M. Fiedler, C. Lindsey And S. Metzger “ On sun
Performance Of A Novel Microcell Based Hcpv System Based In Tuscon: Comparison With Conventional Systems” submitted to IEEE PVSC 2011
Thrust II Benefits to Arizona
Updated 4/9/2012
PEPER Thrust II is helping Arizona - We work with companies to create products and jobs
Company
No. of Student-semesters Jobs Created
Global Solar (Tucson based CIGS mfgr)
Prism Solar (Tucson based CPV mgfr)
Semprius Inc (Demonstration CPV unit at TEP)
Technicians for Sustainability (Tucson PV installer)
NREL
Tucson Electric Power
Rosemont Copper
Biosphere 2
SunPower
Totals:
6
20
6
3
5
32
4
16
4
96
{Number of student-semesters directly supported by PEPER: 5}
Funding also comes from companies above and: NSF, UofA, AZRISE, NASA
5
1
1
1
1
9