Other
Development of a Solar Array Testing Facility
Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Grants
Document Type
Grant
Date
1-1-2010
Disciplines
Keywords
- solar array testing facility,
- alternative energy sources
Funding Agency
Ohio Space Grant Consortium
Citation Information
Timothy B. Dewhurst. "Development of a Solar Array Testing Facility" (2010) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/timothy_dewhurst/73/
The goal of this project is to develop a prototype solar array testing facility to augment a curriculum focused on the advancement of alternative energy sources, specifically solar power. In addition, the facility will be used to test various materials used to construct solar arrays. Solar arrays often do not produce the amount of power for which they are rated for a number of reasons including the strength of the sun's radiation, the panel's angle to the sun, the temperature of the cells, the load on the panel, and the encapsulant used over the cells to insulate them from the environment. This test facility will be designed to identify the effect of all these variables and provide information on how to account for these when designing solar arrays.