Page 57 - Energize August 2022

TECHNICAL

PV performance results:

An interview with CSIR

A presentation on PV system performance at the CSIR was given at
the Enlit Africa Conference which took place in June at the Cape Town
International Conference Centre. Energize caught up with Lawrence
Pratt, principal researcher at the CSIR Energy Research Centre

recently and asked him about the presentation.
Lawrence Pratt

Hi Lawrence, thank you for speaking of South Africans.” And “The CSIR is listed as a public entity in terms of the Public Finance
to Energize today. Please tell us about Management Act (PFMA), 1999 (Act 1 of 1999), as amended by Act 29 of 1999. Its Executive
yourself. What is your responsibility Authority is the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology.”
at the Energy Research Centre? How
long have been there? What would What is the PV Module Q&R Lab?
your typical day look like at the Energy The CSIR’s photovoltaic (PV) module quality and reliability testing laboratory – a first of its
Research Centre? kind for Africa – consists of world-class equipment for localising accelerated reliability stress
I am a solar energy professional with testing on PV modules. The use of the facility by our clients helps to de-risk investment
experience in manufacturing, research, in PV systems by ensuring that only high-quality modules that are suitable to the unique
development, design, installation, testing, South African climate are developed and installed.
and certification of PV modules and
systems. I joined the CSIR in 2017 for the You can learn more about the lab by visiting our website and by watching this
purpose of designing and building a state- YouTube video.
of-the-art PV module quality and reliability https://www.csir.co.za/pv-lab
test lab in South Africa to serve the local https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGP2u6_1-cg
industry. A typical day for me is quite
hectic, as there are many expectations Please tell us more about the report that you gave at the recent Enlit Africa Conference.
placed on principal researchers at the What was the primary objective of the study and what were your overall findings?
CSIR. I oversee the PV lab, provide The Enlit Africa presentation provided an overview of the PV plants in operation at the CSIR.
mentorship, train staff, develop proposals, We have 2 MW of PV systems installed on single-axis trackers, dual-axis trackers and fixed
write papers, and conduct research and tilt rooftops throughout the campus (Figure 1). The PV plants enable the CSIR to reduce
development on my PhD. using machine- the amount of electrical energy purchased from the city by roughly 15% and provides an
learning to analyse electroluminescence
(EL) images of PV modules.

Please tell us more about the CSIR Energy
Research Centre. What is its primary
responsibility? Is the CSIR a state-owned
and run organisation?
As stated on the CSIR website, “The
Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research, commonly known as the CSIR,
is a world-class African research and
development organisation established
through an Act of Parliament in 1945. The
CSIR undertakes directed, multidisciplinary
research and technological innovation that
contributes to the improved quality of life Figure 1: Installed solar PV

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