Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) Demonstrates Innovative PV Installation Technologies that Reduce Balance of System (BOS) Costs by up to 25%

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PVMC’s Prototype Demonstration Facility (PDF)

Courtesy: PVMC.

Abstract:
PVMC's Prototype Demonstration Facility (PDF) at SUNY Polytechnic Institute's Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Solar Energy Development Center (CNSE SEDC) enables collaborations with industry leaders to advance next-generation PV technologies and enhance deployment.

U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) Demonstrates Innovative PV Installation Technologies that Reduce Balance of System (BOS) Costs by up to 25%

Albany, NY | Posted on February 12th, 2015

In accordance with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's NY-SUN initiatives that are expanding New York's clean energy industry and the US Department Of Energy's (DOE) Sunshot Initiative to reduce solar energy installation costs to 6 cents per kWh by 2020, the US Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) has successfully developed and demonstrated two novel, low-cost PV installation hardware processes for rigid and flexible thin-film PV modules for commercial and industrial rooftop applications.

"We are thrilled that the PVMC continues to empower its member companies and stakeholders through access to state-of-the-art facilities and know-how, which provide unmatched resources for PV research, development, and deployment and support the Department of Energy's Sunshot Initiative, in addition to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's ambitious clean energy blueprint," said Dr. Pradeep Haldar, Chief Operating and Technology Officer of PVMC. "As we look to further expand the PVMC's infrastructure to provide ever greater opportunities to advance PV technologies, PVMC is also pioneering more affordable solar power by tackling installation costs—a two-pronged approach that will serve to make solar power even more accessible for a fast-growing, worldwide customer base."

To achieve a lower installation cost for rigid and flexible thin film PV modules, novel PV-integrative mounting hardware is used to eliminate racking and ballasting components of a traditional rooftop PV system. The hardware essentially consists of lightweight components such as support molds, adhesives, and secondary membrane layers, among other items, that enable rapid installation with minimal assembly. A 25% reduction in Balance-Of-Systems cost was demonstrated via decreasing racking hardware and installation labor costs.

PVMC's Prototype Demonstration Facility (PDF) is at the heart of this achievement. PVMC has created a one of a kind facility, located at SUNY Polytechnic Institute's Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Solar Energy Development Center (CNSE SEDC) in Halfmoon, New York, that provides a platform for upstream and downstream PV industry to demonstrate the latest trends in PV installation technologies. The PDF has been significant in bringing together diverse stakeholders within the consortium, consisting of multi-national corporations that contribute toward technology advancement in a collaborative fashion. In particular, PV manufacturers, roofing material providers, wire management providers, PV installers, and end users have collaborated to develop this new approach to lower the cost of installed PV systems.

"Instead of pulling hundreds of wires through various types of conduit, we will now be able to just drop the wires in and then snap the conduit watertight. No longer will each solar installation look like an electrical science project," said Sal Anselmo, New York Manufacturing (NYM) Owner. NYM is a metal extrusion company based in Rochester, NY, that utilized the PDF to launch a wire management product for the PV installation industry. Like Mr. Anselmo, there are countless other small business owners in the region who can also gain access to commercial PV installations to test new products and leverage the PDF, which has generated significant industry impact in its first year of existence.

At the PDF, the PVMC can utilize time and motion installation studies to determine technology impact on hardware and electrical labor, in addition to enabling electrical performance validation of PV technologies. With plans to expand the Prototype Demonstration Facility infrastructure in 2015 to accommodate new participants and diverse installation technologies, the facility continues to promote standardization of installation practices and nationwide adoption of technologies through installer training.

PVMC, headquartered at SUNY Poly CNSE's $20 billion NanoTech Complex in Albany, is an industry-led consortium for cooperative R&D among industry, university, and government partners to accelerate development, commercialization, manufacturing, field-testing, and deployment of next-generation solar PV and building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems.

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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany campus, and degrees in technology, professional studies, and the arts and sciences at its Utica/Rome campus. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $20 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 3,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, faculty, and staff, in addition to Tech Valley High School. The Utica/Rome campus offers a unique high-tech learning environment, providing academic programs in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, with degrees and course offerings in natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. SUNY Poly operates the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, CNSE’s Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in Syracuse, the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester, and the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua. SUNY Poly founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) on its Utica campus and also manages the $500 million New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, with nodes in Albany and Rochester, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

About PVMC
The U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC), headquartered in New York State, is an industry-led consortium for cooperative R&D among industry, university, and government partners to accelerate the develop

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