PV Reliability Research and Field Applications

Rich Stromberg is currently an interdisciplinary doctoral student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks focused on technical research to determine the safety and reliability of solar energy equipment as well as social research to understand the perspectives of needs-based solar reuse customers and the factors that drive system owners to repower their solar arrays early. Whether you are planning to repower a PV array in the near future or simply wish to assess and possibly improve the performance of an existing system, the Solar Reuse Test Lab has the in-house and field techniques and experience to perform a thorough evaluation.

Those considering the purchase of an existing array should seriously consider the modest cost of a thorough technical evaluation of the facility as part of their due diligence process.

Rich participates in the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA-PVPS) Task 13 on PV reuse and is a key member of the International Electrotechnical Committee Technical Committee 82 Working Group 2 tasked with co-writing a publicly available specification on reuse of solar photovoltaic modules (PAS 63525). He is also the chair of the PV Technical Division at the American Solar Energy Society.

Services Offered:

Aerial and ground-based thermography
Electrical characterization
Visual inspections
UV fluorescence
Electroluminescence

All compiled into a detailed site inspection report identifying immediate safety concerns, major factors limiting energy production and recommended corrective actions.

The Laboratory

The SRTL site in southern Colorado packs a lot of technical capabilities in one location. The 20ft X 8ft lab space is clean and protected from the elements to conduct a range of analytical tests such as electroluminescence, UV fluorescence, colorimetry, microscopy, dry/wet leakage and thermography under biased conditions. 120-volt AC power is provided by one of the reuse test arrays.

Thirteen different manufacturer/module types can be found at the currently erected test arrays with another seven manufacturer/module types in inventory to conduct experiments and measure long-term performance from a range of defect modes.

The SRTL facility is available for use by academic/industry researchers at a rate of $100/day or specific tasks can be contracted out to be performed by SRTL staff at affordable rates.

Tools of the Trade

Analysis of solar PV equipment that has been operating in the field requires a very large toolbox. In fact, so single toolbox can hold all the equipment we need to assess the quality, reliability and safety of solar photovoltaic systems.

Our tools include:

Multimeters Solar module meters Irradiance sensors Temperature sensors (infrared and thermocouple)

Infrared cameras Digital microscope I-V curve tracer Colorimeter/spectrophotometer

UV fluorescence kit Electroluminescence kit Bench power supply Endoscopic camera

Safety equipment and PPE Insulated tools Portable power supply Insulation and isolation testers

Thermal drones UVF drone (experimental) Cell shading test platform

Contact

Reach out to discuss your site needs and our reasonable rates.
You can reach Rich at rich@solarreusetestlab.com and at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-stromberg/