Design and fabrication of a prototype system for a photovoltaic residence in the Southwest

As part of the Department of Energy multi-year program plan for photovoltaics, BDM has designed a photovoltaic (PV), all-electric residence suitable for the southwestern United States and is building a prototype structure to test the design concept. The prototype is being built at the Southwest Residential Experiment Station located at New Mexico State University along with prototypes from other contractors. The prototype will enable test of the PV array which produces DC power, the power conversion equipment which converts DC to AC, and the utility interface equipment which operates the power system interactively with the electric utility. The array mounting and structural aspects will also be demonstrated.