A New Remote Communications Link to Reduce Residential PV Solar Costs Award Number: DE-EE0007592 CX(s) Applied: A9, B5.15 Solar Energy Technology Office Date: 7/26/2016 Location(s): CA Office(s): Golden Field Office
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
July 28, 2016
Estimated Read Time min
A New Remote Communications Link to Reduce Residential PV Solar Costs
Award Number: DE-EE0007592
CX(s) Applied: A9, B5.15
Solar Energy Technology Office
Date: 7/26/2016
Location(s): CA
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide federal funding to Operant Solar to design and develop a communication network device to bi-directionally connect Third Party Owned residential solar sites to the internet.
Activities associated with the proposed project would include the design, fabrication, and field testing of prototype wireless communication devices intended for residential solar installations. Design and fabrication activities would be comprised of hardware, software, and network development tasks to facilitate integration of the technology demonstration elements into a complete single printed circuit assembly (PCA) prototype. Printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication and loading would be performed by one or more contract manufacturers. Design, development, top level assembly (above the PCB level), testing, and repair of PCA units would be performed in-house by Operant Solar in Santa Rosa, CA. Following lab testing, a field trial of a network of 20 units would be conducted in a representative residential neighborhood in Santa Rosa, CA. The specific locations of the 20 field test sites have not yet been determined and would be selected later in the course of the proposed project.