This photo shows four different photovoltaic (PV) technologies that are operating at Western’s Folsom, CA, facility. In the immediate foreground is a 3 kW building-integrated prototype system using APS amorphous silicon modules. The small system further back mounted on a rack is a 1 kW Siemens copper-indium-diselenide (CIS) “Beta Test Site.” The bottom two rows of panels on the south-facing inclined roof in the background is a conventional 12 kW system using EPV amorphous silicon modules.

The top row on the south-facing inclined roof is a conventional 12 kW system using Solarex polycrystalline modules. The two systems on the inclined roof wrap around the roof to the west side. A mix of PV technologies was chosen to demonstrate the different attributes and operating characteristics of each technology for educational purposes. A total of nine inverters connect the PV systems into the building’s electrical service panels.