Performance Issues Encountered In PV Systems Installed In the First Year of the California energy Commission (CEC) Emerging Renew Ables Buy-Down Program

摘要

This paper focuses on issues contributing to poor PV system performance based o nfield experience with several systems installed in the first year of the California Energy Commission (CEC) Emerging Renewables Buy-Down PRogram. Photovoltaics for Utiltiy Systems Applications (PVUSA) has been working with the CEC to provide technical assistance for the systems installed under the Buy-Down Program. A significant number of the first 50 PV systems checked by the CEC's field system auditing program have experienced various performance difficulties. These performance problems are likely to have a negative impact on the customer's perception of PV technology if the current trends are not soon reversed. This is particularly true since the number of installations is growing rapidly. Nearly three-quarters of the 300 PV systems installed in the first two years of this program have been installed in the past year showing a significant increase.