1) Download the latest version of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's spreadsheet listing electric generating units in the United States (eia.gov/electricity/capacity). Find out if your state has any PV or solar thermal power plants, and if so, determine the total capacity of each. If not, where are the closest solar electric power plants?

2) Explore the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's PVWATTS solar calculator at pvwatts.nrel.gov and use it to find the performance of a PV system at your location. You can use the calculator's default values for the different parameters or enter them yourself. Either way, prepare a graph showing monthly values of the AC energy produced in kilo- watt-hours. What is the value of the energy produced over the year?

3) If you're not in the United States, download the latest edition of the International Energy Agency's report Trends in Photovoltaic Applications (available at iea- pvps.org/index.php?id=trends). If your country is listed, use the data (a) to find the total installed PV power in your country and (b) to prepare a plot of installed PV power over time in your country.

4) Describe any renewable portfolio standards and feed-in tariffs your state or country has adopted.

MAKE SURE IT INCLUDES

1 Introduction to Data (Error) and Hypothesis on the Experiment

2. Experimental Setup

3. Discussion of the Experimental Steps and Procedures

4.Results of Experiment 5. Conclusion 6. References

NOT FOR SCHOOL FOR PERSONAL USE