STANDARDS
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Although initially designed for utility scale installations, the PVUSA rating method has become a PV rating standard for solar modules in a variety of applications (including residential and commercial), and is now required to enter the California Energy Commission’s rebate program.
PVUSA’s Testing Conditions collect data on a module’s power output for a designated period of time under conditions of 1,000 Watts per square meter solar irradiance, 20° Celsius air temperature, and a wind speed of one meter per second at 10 meters above ground level. The solar industry considers these test conditions to be more reflective of real-world solar and climatic conditions than the Standard Test Conditions that manufacturers report and, therefore, more indicative of the real amount of solar energy a module will generate. There is a growing perception that, because of the STC test’s highly controlled environment, STC ratings over-report and under-deliver electricity output. This inaccuracy concerns solar module purchasers and project designers who want to invest in modules that deliver the maximum amount of energy and fastest ROI. PTC ratings are typically approximately five percent lower than STC ratings, and are increasingly used by project developers to model the expected power output of systems.
Standard experience The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) began administering the California Solar Incentive (CSI) program in 2007. The CEC created a performance-based system of incentives to determine the amount of rebates to which a given installation is entitled. CEC rebates are awarded based on the expected performance of the specific installation to ensure that California proportionally rewards PV systems that provide maximum solar generation. Per CSI requirements, solar generating equipment and modules must be PTC-rated and listed by the CEC and, at least, have a 10-year warranty to be eligible for incentive payments. California has been a leader in the solar industry and is currently the only state to which PTC ratings are directly pegged to incentives. The California Energy Commission’s decision to reward top- performing systems (as measured by their PTC ratings) has benefited California’s solar industry because it ensures that system owners get the greatest energy production per ratepayer dollar. Higher-quality solar installations deliver better power performance in the field which directly translates to higher rebates in California that help end-users manage costs.
© 2010 Angel Business Communications. Permission required.
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue IX 2010
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