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What ORNL research uses this array?

LOCATION The large stationary array was placed along Bethel Valley Road, the principal route traversing ORNL, to accommodate the array's long length and keep it close to Buildings 3147 and 3156. Before the solar panels were installed, the location was evaluated to ensure it was far enough from the road to meet state highway standards.	TECHNOLOGY There are 168 SunPower Corp. (San Jose, California) modules in the 288 ft by 10 ft collector. LightWave Solar Electric, a Nashville, Tennessee, company specializing in residential solar, installed the array.	INSTALLATION The stationary modules are tilted at 36° to maximize the sunlight collected throughout the year at this latitude. Click here for video of the array.

A stationary 288-ft array of 168 solar panels converts the sun's light into direct current (DC) electricity.
The electricity produced helps Buildings 3147 and 3156 achieve net zero energy status (i.e., the energy
provided by on-site renewable energy sources equals the energy used by the buildings). You can follow its generation on line.

OPERATION Designed to provide 51.25 kW at peak power, the array feeds direct current to an inverter, which produces alternating current for the ORNL distribution grid. A total of 88 MWh direct current is produced annually, or about 70MWh alternating current (equivalent to the average annual power needs of 5.5 Tennessee homes). This array is designed to be 18.7% efficient and to displace approximately 114,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year (more than seven times the amount produced annually by the average American). The electricity added to the grid is used to offset electricity for Buildings 3147 and 3156. The array has performed largely as expected.	R&D BENEFITS ORNL research focuses on ways to feed the electric grid with minimal energy loss using sustainable energy sources. The inverter for the direct current from the array is located about 600 feet away in a laboratory across Bethel Valley Road. While a conventional silicon inverter is normally used, ORNL research staff members are evaluating a silicon carbide based-photovoltaic inverter using the data obtained from the array. The innovative power inverters make it possible to dynamically control both active and non-active (reactive) power to the grid. These new inverters can respond to the transient loss of voltages to help maintain voltage stability, while increasing efficiency, thus reducing losses and cooling requirements.	F&O BENEFITS ORNL's Facilities and Operations (F&O) organization paid for the solar array and benefits from the reduced utility bills. Installing and operating a solar array 10 times larger than any previous solar devices on campus adds to ORNL's F&O expertise and helps the Laboratory comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58). This law requires ORNL to obtain at least 5% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and 7.5% by 2013. Renewable energy produced and used on site is doubly credited.

(Last updated: November 2, 2009.)

Sustainability at ORNL

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What ORNL research uses this array?

Sustainability at ORNL

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What ORNL research uses this array?

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