Testing and Evaluation: Systems

Numerous DOE-funded testing and evaluation capabilities are available for public use on a no-fee basis, including capabilities at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), and the Southeast and Southwest Regional Experiment Stations (SERES and SWRES). The following table lists capabilities related to systems and provides links for obtaining more information. To inquire about capabilities at DOE-funded facilities, see the contacts page.

Descriptor	Description of Capability (including Web links)	Specific tests/measurements/characterizations
NREL Small Systems Testing	Real-time testing of small grid-connected PV systems. IEEE Standard 1526 small-standalone system testing. http://www.nrel.gov/pv/performance_reliability	System real-time performance, system degradation rates, changes to modules under actual use conditions.
NREL Solar Radiation Research Laboratory Broadband and Spectral Radiometry, Metrology, and Resource Data Characterization	Traceability of radiometric measurements to World Radiometric Reference through cavity radiometer (for cell and module measurements). Broadband and spectral irradiance characterization. http://www.nrel.gov/solar_radiation/ www.nrel.gov/midc	Radiometer calibration and measurement uncertainty, with traceability to world standards for cell and module performance measurements. Spectral radiation characterization for traceability, measurement uncertainty, and reporting for cells and modules with respect to standard spectra. Spectral characterization of flash solar simulators. Access to NREL and remote testing site solar and meteorological near-real-time and archived data streams. These capabilities also apply to modules and cells.
NREL Renewable Resource Data Center Solar Resource Characterization — Broadband and Spectral Radiative Transfer Modeling and Irradiance Characterization	Access to national and international solar radiation databases, data sets, and measurement activities. Broadband, spectral, and circumsolar measurement data sets. Expertise and operational capability in radiative transfer codes. Development, application, and interpretation of resource data for system testing and simulation. http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/ www.nrel.gov/midc/srrl_bms www.nrel.gov/gis/solar.html	Interpretation and applications of 30-year National Solar Radiation Data Base and other measurement data sets (NASA Surface Solar Energy site, WMO World Radiation Data Center). Development, validation, and evaluation of solar resource spectral models for device and system design, deployment, and testing community. Assistance for operation and interpretation of PVWatts solar calculators and on-line U.S. National Solar Radiation Atlases. Interactive Solar Resource Geographical Information Systems Maps and downloadable data. These capabilities also apply to modules and cells.
Sandia PV System Optimization Lab	Fully instrumented and calibrated facility for evaluating performance and reliability of residential-scale inverter/array combinations. 12 configurable 3-kW PV arrays. www.sandia.gov/pv	Continuous measurements and analysis of all system dc and ac performance variables in addition to associated solar resource and weather parameters. Determination of array and inverter performance parameters for energy modeling using Sandia protocols. Test and analysis of long-term aging characteristics of arrays and inverters. Evaluation of system performance monitoring hardware.
Sandia Field Performance Testing	Comprehensive field testing of large PV systems and components using portable instrumentation. www.sandia.gov/pv	Performance characterization and diagnostic testing of utility-scale PV arrays at source-circuit level (< 25 kW) using portable curve tracers. In-situ inverter performance characterization using ac and dc sensors with datalogger. Determination of array and inverter energy modeling parameters using Sandia test protocols. Thermal (IR) imaging surveys.
SERES PV System Performance Monitoring	Capability for remote monitoring and archive of performance data from a large number of installed PV systems. www.sitepower.org	Measurement: Involves installation of data acquisition systems (DAS) to monitor sunlight, dc and ac voltage and current and power. Reporting: Consistent with IEC 61724.
SERES Small Systems Test Facility	Designed to test the performance of small stand-alone (off-grid) PV systems.	Tested using DAS systems according to IEEE 1526 standard.
SWRES PV System Field Test/Evaluation	Test and evaluation of field installed prototype and production PV systems and components. www.nmsu.edu/~tdi/Photovoltaics/PV-Energy.html	Array and system ratings. System acceptance testing (validation of dc and ac specifications). System code compliance evaluation (array, inverter BOS, workmanship). IV measurements (arrays, strings, modules). Inverter evaluations (power quality, conversion efficiency, transitions). Monitoring and data collection for PVUSA PTC-rating (30-day test). Development of hardware and software for system testing and monitoring. Testing for UL and NEC code compliance.
SWRES Long-Term Hot-Dry Outdoor Exposure Testing of Systems and Components	Exposure testing and monitoring of modules, arrays, inverters, and BOS components. www.nmsu.edu/~tdi/Photovoltaics/PV-Energy.html	Exposure testing of PV modules (annual radiation >2,300 kWh/m², two-axis trackers, automatic IV acquisition). Inverter testing (cycling, high temperature operation, configurable dc inputs). BOS test and evaluations (batteries, charge controls).