ATONOMETRICS, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 11b

Description

Bifacial PV systems are the fastest growing segment of the worldwide PV market and sensor development is lagging behind this market. The lack of adequate bifacial irradiance PV sensors cost the industry millions of dollars because of the corresponding lack of accurate bifacial data. Therefore, there is a need for bifacial sensors to enable PV system performance assessment and optimization of bifacial systems. We propose to develop intellectual property and products around our novel bifacial PV irradiance sensor technologies, which are intended to provide low-cost, maintenance-free sensors. Our goal in Phase I is to determine the technical and commercial viability of this novel technology. Using a combination of indoor and outdoor testing, we will address at least the following key technical points: development of prototype hardware, software algorithm development, and outdoor field trials with correlated data. The commercial applications of the project include the possibility to provide low- cost high-accuracy irradiance measurements for PV bifacial power plants so they can optimize their operations. This will lower the cost of PV power generation and make it more widely available. Phase I will determine the viability of the technology and Phase II will commercialize the technology. The lack of accurate bifacial irradiance data at PV power plants increases the cost to operate such plants. This project will help determine the commercial feasibility of this new novel technology.