Comparison of solar modules on a hospital in Luxembourg

The research institute Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor in Luxembourg will begin testing solar modules: a 50 kW PV system and a reference test field are planned at the municipal hospital in Esch/Alzette.     

© Centre de Recherche Public (CRP) Henri Tudor, Technoport Module tests in Luxembourg: CAD model of the planned 50 kW test system on the roof of a hospital in Esch/Alzette.

While the roof of the hospital will be equipped with four different types of solar modules that include three different cell technologies, the test field will have up to 13 different module types. Information on the types of modules to be chosen has yet to be disclosed. 

Three anonymously purchased modules of the same type will be installed on an unshaded part of the roof. They will feed electricity via an inverter into the grid while current, voltage, and module temperature are monitored continuously. The test is complete when at least one IV curve is measured for different ambient conditions that were specified in advance, which could be achieved within as little as one year. 

All electricity will be fed into the grid and reimbursed according to the feed-in tariff in Luxembourg. The research on this public module comparison will be financed through funding from the FEDER program of the European Commission, which will support the monitoring as well as the publication of the data until Jan. 2007. Additional funds will come from the Luxembourg Ministry of Research, Environment and Economy.

The test results will be published on the institute's website (in French): www.lti.lu 

Karsten Albers
© PHOTON International, May 2004