Understanding Solar Photovoltaic System Performance
This online engineering PDH course presents a performance analysis of 75 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed at federal sites, conducted by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) with support from National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
System data is analyzed for key performance indicators including availability, performance ratio, and energy ratio by comparing the measured production data to modeled production data. The analysis utilizes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s System Advisor Model (SAM), which combines a description of the system (such as inverter capacity, temperature derating, and balance-of-system efficiency) with environmental parameters (coincident solar and temperature data) to calculate predicted performance.
The measured performance metrics are useful in that they provide realistic expectations of performance, and owners of existing systems may compare their own measured performance values to the average and focus on corrective actions.
This 2 PDH online course is applicable to mechanical and electrical engineers and energy specialists who are interested in learning more about the performance of solar photovoltaic systems.
This PE continuing education course is intended to provide you with the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Familiarizing with the key performance indicators of PV systems
- Understanding the research methodology of the proposed study
- Analyzing a statistical summary of key performance indicators across a sample of PV systems and drawing conclusions
- Gaining an overview of the future steps and resources for agencies interested in improving photovoltaic system performance
Upon successful completion of the quiz, print your Certificate of Completion instantly. (Note: if you are paying by check or money order, you will be able to print it after we receive your payment.) For your convenience, we will also email it to you. Please note that you can log in to your account at any time to access and print your Certificate of Completion.