The Fraunhofer USA Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) successfully demonstrated two installations of Plug and Play PV (photovoltaic solar) systems at its "2016 Demo Day." Plug and Play PV Systems are easy to install, easy to inspect for code compliance, and can participate in electronic Permitting, Inspection and Interconnection (ePI&I) processes. The vision for Plug and Play PV is to make solar system installation as easy and safe as it is for everyday appliances.
The Plug and Play PV project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, will help to dramatically reduce the installed cost of residential PV systems, from $3 - 4/Watt today to $1.50/Watt by 2020.
"We have taken the Plug and Play PV approach to the next level by demonstrating that different technology approaches can meet the vision with simplified installation, simplified inspection, and electronic permitting, inspection and interconnection," says Dr. Christian Hoepfner, Executive Director of Fraunhofer CSE and principal investigator on the Plug and Play PV project. "This opens the path for many manufacturers to develop and offer Plug and Play PV systems. Fraunhofer CSE and its commercial partners are now looking forward to piloting the Plug and Play PV approach on a larger scale in 2017."
Fraunhofer CSE has been working closely with a number of major stakeholders, including the City of Boston, electrical utilities like National Grid and Eversource, and industry partners such as Lumeta, SunPower and VoltServer, among others.
"The Commonwealth's partnership with Fraunhofer CSE continues to drive innovation and cut energy costs while making clean energy options like solar more accessible to residents and businesses" said Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. "As part of the Baker-Polito Administration's commitment to Massachusetts' leadership in clean energy, we're proud to support these types of public-private partnerships that aim to transform clean energy marketplaces."
As part of the Plug and Play Demo Day, Fraunhofer CSE performed a live installation of a string inverter PV system including commissioning in less than 75 minutes. Another Plug and Play PV system based on micro-inverters was also demonstrated. The project will next develop pilot projects in multiple utility territories in 2017.
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour.
