2001: A SOLAR ODYSSEY

摘要

In October 1999, GSA New England installed a 30 kW BIPV array designed by Power Light, of Berkley, California, on a downtown Boston building. The array consisting of 372 panels began functioning on February 29, 2000 after much ado with the local utility. In July 2000, two panels, with shattered glass and a "slumped" appearance led us to the discovery of a water infiltration and corrosion process that forced us to take the array out of service. The fault mechanism has been identified. The plastic encapsulate used in the panel assembly process exerted more stress on the panel's glass component than had been witnessed in the laboratory or that had been anticipated. New panels will be manufactured by March 1, 2001. The re-installation is targeted for April 1, 2001. The process has been a "solar odyssey" for the General Services Administration.