O first photovoltaic system integrated into a building and connected to the public electricity grid in Brazil completed 25 years of uninterrupted operation No. UFSC Photovoltaic Solar Energy Laboratory (Federal University of Santa Catarina).
The system is installed since September 1997 on top of the Mechanical Engineering Department building, in the CTC (Technological Center) of the Florianópolis campus – the original headquarters of the laboratory, which built and monitors this and other photovoltaic systems in the country.
The photovoltaic generator, composed in the form of subsystems through the use of 68 modules (54 opaque and 14 semi-transparent) and four inverters, account with a installed power of 2 kWp.
The technology was fixed in a total area of 40 m² e it operated in this way from September 1997 until the end of 2008, when the four inverters were replaced by just one 2,5 kW.
According to UFSC, after two decades of operation, it was necessary to disconnect some of the modules, which reduced the generation capacity to 1,28 kWp.
However, the problems that caused the reduction in the number of modules are associated with components and not the technology itself.
“The longevity of the first photovoltaic generator connected to the grid and still in operation represents a consistent contribution to the knowledge of the long-term performance of solar generation, which is clean and low-cost”, assesses the university.
Comments (3)
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25 years installed and generating! A great achievement for the photovoltaic solar energy sector in Brazil.
Congratulations to the staff at the Photovoltaic Solar Energy Laboratory at UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina) for reaching this great milestone.
Excellent Article.
I have been working in this photovoltaic sector for some years, I knew that in Brazil there were older systems installed, but not exactly where. I believe that there are others, even experimental ones, that have been around for longer!!!. From what I have heard, but never with data to prove it. 99,99% of the installed photovoltaic systems are very new, a growing market and we are very concerned about the short future of these systems that are being installed by professionals with no TRAINING WHATSOEVER!
Congratulations on the report. I am an Occupational Safety Engineer and an Electrical Engineer as well, and I currently provide training in this area. This information was very important to me. Thanks.