100 KW Peak Photovoltaic Power System for the Natural Bridges National Monument

摘要

The Department of Energy, in partnership with the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior, is sponsoring the implementation of 100 kW peak photovoltaic power system for the Natural Bridges National Monument in southeastern Utah. This remote site, which presently obtains all of its electrical energy from a diesel-powered generator, is manned year-round by NPS personnel. Starting in the fall of 1979, the PV system will begin to provide the bulk of the electrical demand at the site. Sunlight will be converted into dc electricity by an array field of glass-covered modules containing three types of silicon solar cells. The 1700 m exp 2 array, with over a quarter million two- and three-inch cells, will be the largest flat-plate PV field in the world at the time of its dedication. The power system will take dc power from the array, store excess energy in a 750 kWh lead-acid battery, and convert dc to ac in a single 50 kVA inverter. A standby diesel-powered generator will provide backup for the system in the event of extended inclement weather. (ERA citation 04:052772)