PowerGuard? Advanced Manufacturing: PVMaT Phase I Final Technical Report, June 1, 1998--September 30, 1999

During Phase I of 'PowerGuard? Advanced Manufacturing,' PowerLight Corporation accomplished the following advancements: 1) Decreased system cost by 15%; 2) Increased PowerGuard tile production capacity from 5 MW/year to 8 MW/yr; 3) Established a manufacturing layout master plan for sequential integration of semi-automated and automated component workstations; 4) Defined semi-automation orautomation of selected stages of the existing tile fabrication sequence, including PV module preparation, XPS processing, and coating; 5) Completed the advancement of several design improvements to the grid-tied inverter control board, including controller redesign, integrated data acquisition system (DAS), and communications for audit-worthy verification of PV system performance; 6) Conformedto NEPA, OSHA, and other federal and state regulations applicable to the proposed production process and mitigated potential for waste streams; 7) Initiated Underwriters Laboratories listings and international certifications on PowerGuard improvements; 8) Developed finance packages and integrated warranties; 9) Evaluated commercial demonstrations that incorporated the new design features andmanufacturing process.