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Solar ABCs Newsletter
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June 2009
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Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings
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Greetings!
Welcome to the June newsletter for the Solar America Board for Codes
and Standards (Solar ABCs). In this newsletter you will learn about a new Solar ABCs Report on PV Cell Procurement, fire safety research, Advisory Committee appointments, ASTM, SEMI, NREL, DOE, California PUC activities, and more. We also remember Chuck Whitaker, who was an important contributor to Solar ABCs. I will miss his sage counsel, pursuit of excellence, and ever present humor. If you want to play an active role in discussion, debate, and the preparation of position statements and policies, you may sign up to become an active member
of one or more panels. The Solar ABCs is organized into different
panels with each having responsibility for different topics related to
specific codes or standards. Let me know if you have any suggestions for future newsletters or any other comments for Solar ABCs.
Sincerely,  Larry Sherwood
Project Administrator
Solar America Board for Codes and Standards
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Solar ABCs Mourns the Passing of Chuck Whitaker
Chuck Whitaker passed away in May 2009 at the age of 50. He had battled cancer for the past year. Chuck was a valued member of the Solar ABCs Steering Committee and was instrumental in the development of this program. During his distinguished career, he supported the development and implementation of most of the PV codes and standards both nationally and internationally. As Bill Brooks commented, "a huge hole is left in the PV industry with Chuck's passing, and it is the hope of many of us in the codes and standards arena to be able to carry on his tireless work with a semblance of the skill, wit, and humor that was the hallmark of this amazing individual." Read on.
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 Solar ABCs Report: PV Cell Procurement
Crystalline Silicon Terrestrial Photovoltaic Cells: Supply Chain Procurement Specification Guideline
A
large portion of PV module qualification failures are related to the
failure of the cell itself. Since most module manufacturers provide a
warranty exceeding 20 years, it is imperative for them to ensure that
their modules will work for decades to come. This new Solar ABCs
Report, authored by Govindasamy TamizhMani of Arizona State University,
provides a cell procurement specification standard giving procurement
testing information on the cells for the benefit of the module and cell
manufacturers and increasing the assurance that long-term reliability
will be met. A Standards Development Organization will now consider
adopting the standard.
Click here to download the full report or a one-page summary.
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Solar ABCs Adds New Advisory Committee Members
The Solar America Board for Codes and
Standards appointed six new members of its Advisory Committee. The new members are:
- Jon Bertolino, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
- Marv Dargatz, Enphase Energy
- Ryan Gason, Dow Chemical Co.
- Colin Murchie, SunEdison
- Mike Taylor, Solar Electric Power Association
- Wilson Rickerson, Rickerson Energy Strategies
The
Advisory Committee provides recommendations to the Solar ABCs
Steering Committee on solar codes and standards issues, elects one
member to the Steering Committee, and provides valuable support to the
Panels in completion of their respective projects.
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Fire Safety Research Underway
The UL Fire Safety Research Project will provide critically needed test data to develop the appropriate requirements and answer pertinent industry questions and issues associated with the use of PV modules over Fire Class rated roofing materials. The research is divided into two phases. Phase One is complete and UL will conduct the Phase Two tests in July.
During the first phase, UL used a non-flammable material rather than PV modules to study the interaction of the panel and the roof during fire tests. The tests studied the effect of stand-off height above the roof and vertical vs. horizontal mounting rails on the flame shape during the spread-of-flame test. In addition three burning brand tests and two spread-of-flame tests were conducted using actual PV modules during phase one.
Based on the results of the Phase 1 tests, Phase 2 tests will use PV modules and will study different combinations of PV modules and roofing materials. The tests will use panels donated by several manufacturers.
At the conclusion of the tests, a white paper will summarize the research and become the basis for discussion with industry and other stakeholders of "what's next" on this issue.
Click here for more background on this issue.
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Solar ABCs Stakeholder Meeting
October 30, 2009, 8am - 12:30pm in Anaheim, CA after the Solar Power Conference
At this meeting, Stakeholders will learn about Solar ABCs recommendations and other projects underway. They will also be able to comment on proposed recommendations and provide input into future program direction.
Click here to register. This site will be updated with an agenda for the meeting when it is available.
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ASTM International Technical Committee E44
ASTM International Technical Committee E44 on Solar, Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources is continuing their new activities strategic planning efforts as a follow up to their February 14, 2009 stakeholders meeting. During the meeting new standards activities were identified and will be discussed this June 16th. Discussions will entail the planning of projects on PV Module Frame Grounding, Wind Load Testing, Analysis and Design Code, Accelerated Lifetime Testing, Measurement and Evaluation Practices, and Service Life Estimation Outdoor Durability Protocols.
In addition, a current project, WK21327, on the Installation of Roof Mounted PV Arrays is well under way. Please see the E44 Invitation for more information about our efforts. If you wish to participate in the June 16th meeting, please contact Christine DeJong at cdejong@astm.org or call 610-832-9736.
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NREL Report: Photovoltaic Systems Interconnected onto Network Distribution Systems - Success Stories
 NREL has released a Technical Report titled Photovoltaic Systems Interconnected onto Secondary Network Distribution Systems - Success Stories, which addresses methodologies for interconnecting PV systems in larger metropolitan areas that are served by secondary networks. The report focuses on six case studies in New York City, Washington D.C., Denver, and San Francisco, and addresses PV systems installed on both area networks and spot networks. The paper is coauthored by three utility engineers from Con Edison, PG&E, and Xcel Energy,and is focused on a utility or utility commission audience. The studies demonstrate that there are PV systems interconnected to these secondary networks and those systems are operating successfully.
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DOE High Penetration Solar Deployment Funding Opportunity
DOE announced release of the Recovery Act Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for High Penetration Solar Deployment, Number DE-FOA-0000085. The FOA includes 4 topic areas: Improved Modeling Tools Development; Field Verification of High-Penetration Levels of PV into the Distribution Grid; Modular Power Architecture; and Demonstration of PV and Energy Storage for Smart Grids.
Click here for more information. The deadline is July 30, 2009.
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Grant Solicitation from the California Solar Initiative Research, Demonstration, and Deployment Program
The CPUC Energy Division, through its Program Manager, Itron, is making available a draft version of the first Grant Funding Solicitation for the CSI Solar RD&D Program. The purpose of this notice is to seek comment and feedback from interested stakeholders on the draft solicitation document. This first solicitation will focus on integration of photovoltaics (PV) into the utility grid and focuses on the following activities:
1. Planning and modeling for high-penetration PV
2. Testing and development of hardware and software for high-penetration PV
3. Addressing the near term integration of energy efficiency, demand response and storage along with PV.
Click here to see the full "Comments Request" letter. Comments on the draft will be accepted through June 18, 2009. The
soliciation will be finalized and released for possible applications
around June 30, 2009.
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National Renewable Electricity Standards Comparison to Help Lawmakers
Fitting nicely within what could easily be considered a "green era," many lawmakers have proposed renewable electricity standards (RES). Strong national RES standards would, ideally, increase resource diversity, price stability, and environmental quality.
To that end, NREL analysts are helping lawmakers evaluate proposed national RES legislation. Patrick Sullivan, Jeffrey Logan, Lori Bird, and Walter Short with NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC) recently completed a study comparing three proposed national RES. The report, A Comparative Analysis of Three Proposed Federal Renewable Electricity Standards, assesses the potential impacts of the three proposed standards on the U.S. electricity sector.
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SEMI-DOE Hold c-Si Specification Workshop
On May 14, SEMI and DOE hosted a meeting on c-Si Specification at Arizona State University. Participants represented about 40 organizations.
A SEMI working group will develop a template for detailing c-Si cell specifications. This will draw on the Solar ABCs cell prequalification report and on the cell specification format recently introduced in Germany by several cell makers (e.g. Ersol, Q-Cells). Discussion of template Draft 1 will be Tuesday July 14th at InterSolar North America in San Francisco.
For more information contact Win Baylies, Co-Chair of the SEMI North America PV Committee.
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