What: Quality Roundtable at Solar Power International 2018
When: September 26, 2018 from 2 PM to 4 PM
Where: Solar Power International, Hilton Anaheim, attached to the Convention Center, room Palos Verdes A&B
Now in its third year, pv magazine’s quality roundtable at SPI will build on themes explored in our global roundtables and in previous years with new, more interactive formats, and well as an expanded scope of inquiry.
Quality Roundtable will continue to explore issues of quality and reliability in existing PV installations, again this year starting with specific anonymous cases of problematic projects. However, while in the past we have mostly looked at issues that came up at the cell and module level, this year we will also be looking at issues involving tracking, racking and even monitoring systems.
This year’s event will also include a panel discussion focusing on the use of data to inform predictive and preventative measures to maintain high levels of output at solar projects, and to inform efficient operations and maintenance practices.
Invited experts and panelists
T. John Trout
PV Reliability R&D Manager
DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions
Download the presentation of T. John Trout
John is a R&D Manager for DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, leading the global program in PV Reliability that includes module and component accelerated testing, evaluation of modules from fields around the world, the development of codes and standards. John has worked in Photovoltaics and Tedlar R&D for 10 years and has worked for DuPont for 33 years. Prior to Photovoltaics, John worked in several new business ventures and helped start and launch two new businesses for DuPont. His background includes R&D, and Sales and Marketing with work in displays, holography, and optical films. John holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and BS in Chemistry from Davidson College.
Paul Wormser, VP of Operations, CEA
The pv magazine/CEA/Gsola test program
The results so far: summary and observations
Download the presentation of Paul Wormser
Dr. Arathi Gopinath (NEXTracker)
Download the slides of Arathi Gopinath
Dr. Arathi Gopinath is the Global Asset Performance Manager for NEXTracker. In his role, she and her team use sophisticated data science methodologies to maximize tracker utilization and performance. Much of her current work focuses on using plant data to allow asset owners and developers to predict overall plant health over the life of a solar project, and this includes NEXTracker’s TrueCapture smart control system performance.
Prior to NEXTracker, Dr. Gopinath led the R&D team at Energy Recovery Inc. As the Sr. Director of Engineering, she led technology development projects that would expand the capabilities of energy recovery technologies for new applications. After her Ph.D. in 2007, Dr. Gopinath started her career as a research scientist at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY. At GE, Dr. Gopinath worked on a diverse number of applications including jet engine, gas turbine, and wind turbine design. Dr. Gopinath used state-of-the-art technologies and numerical methods to push the boundaries of existing designs, and come up with novel designs for better performance.
Dr. Arti Gopinath is a Ph.D. graduate from Stanford University, CA, with a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Her technical expertise is in the field of computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Dr. Rob Andrews (Heliolytics)
Download the slides of Rob Andrews
Dr. Rob Andrews is the CEO and co-founder of Heliolytics, the global leader in aerial inspections for solar energy systems. Prior to founding Heliolytics, Rob was the principal at Calama Consulting, focusing on PV system operational optimization and resource assessment. Rob received his PhD from Queen’s University and has published peer reviewed articles on advanced system modelling, system loss assessment and next generation yield enhancement technologies.
Dean Solon (Shoals)
Brian Mills (Stäubli)
