Development of A Fully Integrated PV System for Residential Applications: PVMaT5a Final Report, 18 December 2001

摘要

This report describes both the Utility Power Group (UPG), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera Solar, Inc., and Xantrex Technology Inc., have designed, assembled, and tested a new photovoltaic (PV) power system for residential rooftops to meet the goal of a readily manufacturable product that will increase US domestic PV power system production and installed capacity, by reducing the total installed cost and increasing the reliability of residential rooftop mounted PV power systems. A new factory pre-fabricated PV array system was developed, and 80 have been installed on the residential rooftops using standard metal parts. The direct material and labor cost of the array installation has been reduced to $3.79 per square foot for a 2400W installation. A modular, maintenance free, battery-based Power Unit and Energy Storage Unit (power conditioning and control) have also been developed. The design, fabrication, and testing have been completed for two prototypes of this system. These products have been evaluated for their structural integrity, electrical performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability. The direct material and labor cost of the Power Unit has been reduced to $0.34 per watt. The 13 kW-hr Energy Storage Unit (ESU) has been UL listed.