Prototype solar photovoltaic energy system for residential applications in the Northeast

A prototype solar photovoltaic energy system has been designed and constructed at the Northeast Residential Experiment Station of DOE operated by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The system is designed to be suitable for installation on a single family detached residence containing roughly 2000 square feet of living area. The array is integrally mounted and serves as the water-tight membrane of the roof. It consists of 160 solar cell modules formed into 20 watertight panels which are mounted on the rafters using conventional techniques familiar to the building industry. The rated peak power output of the array modules is 5.7 kW at Standard Test Conditions. The power conditioner used is a voltage sourced, self-commutated, programmed waveform unit utilizing transistors.