Fundamentals and Trends in Photovoltaic Electric Generation

Mr. Paul Hernday
Senior Applications Engineer Solmetric, Inc., Sebastopol, CA

Cerent Engineering Science Complex, Salazar Hall 2009A
4:00 PM

Abstract - Over 250,000 Americans work in the solar industry, and last year the solar industry generated a $17 billion investment in the American economy. This talk explores the explosive growth of solar electric generation with focus on solar cell and PV system principals and operation, trends in PV system design, tools for designing and testing PV systems, and methods for monitoring the performance of installed systems and remotely diagnosing any performance issues. We will also look at the forces acting to increase and impede the growth of solar, and the wide diversity of job types found in the solar industry.

Mr. Paul Hernday is Performance Engineer at Vivint Solar, a nationwide residential solar energy company. His work includes using monitoring data from individual solar systems to characterize production, detect performance issues, and provide technical support to the service organization. Paul is also Senior Applications Engineer at Solmetric, a Sebastopol-based developer and manufacturer of innovative electronic measurement tools for the solar PV industry. At Solmetric he specializes in PV array performance measurement, supporting customers through one-on-one consulting, training courses, and technical articles. Solmetric is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vivint Solar. Prior to entering the solar field Paul developed electronic measurement instruments with HP and Agilent Technologies and earned a degree in Organization Development from Sonoma State University.