Sandia solar facilities to host American Solar Energy Society conference tour

The 51st Annual National Solar Conference will be held June 21-24, 2022, in Albuquerque, NM, at the University of New Mexico campus and online. Hosted by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and the New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA) this year’s technical sessions will include topics such as:

• Grid Integration & Energy Storage,
• Clean Transportation, and 
• Equity in Financing and Investment.

Additionally, the conference will celebrate NMSEA’s 50th anniversary. Featured events will include North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) registered workshops, and a tour of Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF), and the Photovoltaic Systems Evaluation Laboratory (PSEL) on Friday, June 24, 2022, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. MT (approximately).

Sandia National Laboratories has operated the NSTTF for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) since the 1970s. It is the only test facility of this type in the United States. Its primary goal is to provide experimental engineering data for the design, construction, and operation of unique components and systems in proposed solar thermal electrical plants planned for large-scale power generation. Capabilities include:

• high heat flux and temperatures for materials testing or aerodynamic heating simulation,
• large fields of optics for astronomical observations or satellite calibrations,
• a solar furnace, and
• a rotating platform for parabolic trough evaluation.

PSEL provides expertise and test support within several facilities and outdoor sites for evaluating photovoltaics (PV) and other distributed energy technologies. Capabilities include:

• PV systems evaluations and optimization,
• field testing of arrays and systems in collaboration with system integrators,
• performance testing for modules, arrays, power inverters, charge controllers, and batteries, and
• diagnosis of module reliability issues with manufacturing consultation, among many others.

Details and registration can be found at ases.org/conference.