USSolar Institute is now running its 6-month real world solar PV challenge. We will test some of the world’s leading panels and inverters under live conditions
Fort Lauderdale, FL – May 13, 2013 – In collaboration with Caribbean and Florida certified PV installer & state licensed contractor, Florida Solar One, USSolar Institute, is conducting a 6-month real world solar PV challenge in which it tests some of the leading panels and inverters performance under “live” conditions.
After outfitting its Fort Lauderdale campus with technology from the likes of Suniva, SMA, and SolarEdge, the PV installation training college will carefully monitor the results and publish its findings online – daily.
Although nearly all solar components sold in the US undergo 3rd party testing, the majority of independent agencies conduct their reviews under controlled conditions. According to USSolar Institute Founder and Florida Solar One President, Ray Johnson, “Homeowners don’t want to know how well these products work in a lab – they want to know how much power they’ll get when the panels are installed on their properties.”
In addition to 3rd party reviews, manufacturers enjoy considerable leeway when marketing power output and warranties. So much so, that a number of leading suppliers have come under fire for dubious claims about the performance of their panels. In fact, Florida solar panel maker ASP also known as Blue Chip Energy was forced to issue a recall for violating standards by popular rating agency, Underwriters Laboratories.
For the experiment, USSolar Institute has installed PV panels from ReneSola. The challenge will also includes 3 of the more popular inverter technologies to the test – Enphase’s micro inverters, SMA’s string-line inverters, and SolarEdge’s DC-optimized inverters. Each will have its own monitoring to help track performance.
“6 months is a long-time for an experiment of this type, but we deliberately designed it to coincide with Florida’s notorious hurricane season,” adds Johnson. “Traditional labs aren’t very good at simulating high velocity winds, salty humidity, and semi-equatorial, year-round sunshine. We’re eager to see the final results.”
Stay tuned….. It looks like it’s going to be a great Challenge!
To learn more about USSolar Institute, visit: https://ussolarinstitute.com/.
To learn more about Florida Solar One, visit: http://www.floridasolarone.com/.
About USSolar Institute
USSolar Institute is a globally diversified solar energy corporation with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and offices, dealers, and partners around the world. USSolar remains dedicated to comprehensive solar education and consulting services by providing global construction management, engineering, and financing solutions for virtually any sized project or system need.