Mercury Solar Systems partners with NREL to advance solar energy research

PORT CHESTER, USA: Mercury Solar Systems, one of the leading solar integrators on the East Coast, has partnered with The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to advance solar energy research.

NREL will extract data for its own long-term research from Mercury Solar System's solar test-bed, the first solar photovoltaic testing facility in the Northeast. The system will be constructed on the roof of Mercury Solar Systems' corporate headquarters in Westchester County, NY, and is expected to be operational by the end of the summer. A grant from The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will help finance the project.

"Our partnership with NREL will help validate panel performance for the entire solar industry," said Lloyd Hoffstatter, VP of Engineering, Mercury Solar Systems.

"Combining several different solar panels into one system is an innovative approach to evaluate and monitor panel performance. It will also give us quantifiable engineering data to design, construct and integrate the most state-of-the-art solar energy systems for our customers, giving us a significant edge over other firms in this industry."

The 81 kilowatt (kW) solar PV system will consist of several hundred panels from eight different manufacturers. It is expected to generate 90,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) each year or approximately seventy-five percent of the building's annual electricity needs. The system will also incorporate a hybrid PV/solar hot water system.

"We believe this partnership will supply us useful information to help evaluate solar panel performance in the Northeast," said NREL Senior Engineer Ryan Smith.

“At NYSERDA we believe innovation is critical to the long-term success of our State’s energy, economic, and environmental wellbeing. We commend NREL and Mercury Solar Systems for taking on this initiative as it will not only help the industry progress but increase the number of high efficiency solar systems in the market, producing more clean energy for our residents,” said Francis J. Murray, Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA.