February 1, 2010

Solar ABC’s announces February webinar series

The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) is holding three web-based meetings on issues facing the photovoltaic’s market in February.  These webinars are free, but you must register to attend.  All webinars will be held at 2 pm ET via GoToWebinar software, which will allow conference call audio (via phone or computer)…

The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) is holding three web-based meetings on issues facing the photovoltaic’s market in February.  These webinars are free, but you must register to attend.  All webinars will be held at 2 pm ET via GoToWebinar software, which will allow conference call audio (via phone or computer) and real-time visual presentation by the presenters.

The Solar ABCs is a collaborative effort among experts to formally gather and prioritize input from the broad spectrum of solar photovoltaic stakeholders including policy makers, manufacturers, installers, and consumers resulting in coordinated recommendations to codes and standards making bodies for existing and new solar technologies. The U.S. Department of Energy funds Solar ABCs as part of its commitment to facilitate wide-spread adoption of safe, reliable, and cost-effective solar technologies.


Utility External Disconnect Switch on PV Systems (February 10, 2 pm-3:30 pm ET)
There is often a lot of misunderstanding about the need for a utility external disconnect switches (UEDS). This webinar will strive to clear up these misunderstandings and address common questions regarding UEDS. The webinar is designed to educate all stakeholders in the U.S. solar industry on the current best practices of UEDS on photovoltaic systems. The lead authors of two recent papers on the topic will present the latest UEDS information. Register now.
  • Michael Sheehan, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC), wrote a Solar ABCs paper on utility external disconnect switches published in 2009.
  • Mike Coddington, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), also recently published a paper on this topic.
At the end of the webinar there will be a question and answer period for the webinar participants.


Solar ABCs Stakeholder Meeting on States Policy Options for Valuing Distributed Solar PV Generation Study (February 19, 2 PM to 3:30 PM ET)

This stakeholder meeting will discuss a study currently underway on State Policy Options for Valuing Distributed Solar PV Generation led by Kevin Fox of Keyes & Fox, LLP. This study is investigating many policies for valuing distributed solar PV generation, paying particular attention to Feed In Tariffs, which have been rapidly gaining in popularity. Register Now


Solar ABCs Stakeholder Meeting on PV Module Power Ratings (February 26, 2 PM to 3:30 PM ET)

Present practices of PV module power rating in the US usually express module power as an expected number (i.e. 200 W +/- 10%).  This practice does not allow for total recognition of light induced degradation (LID effect), factory sorting practices, or measurement uncertainties. State and federal incentive programs are affected, also affected are system design, expected power production, and customer expectations.

This stakeholder meeting will discuss the standardization and improvement of methods and practices associated with the measurement of photovoltaic module power ratings in the US market, expressed in Watts expected/produced. This meeting will be a chance for all stakeholders to hear about the status of these discussions / studies and to ask questions and provide input to the authors. The outcome of this Solar ABCs project stands to direct the future of PV module power rating in the US solar market.   Register Now