Southern Research Institute completed a facility to study solar PV systems. The facility, the Southeastern Solar Research Center (SSRC), will house numerous research efforts beginning with an EPRI project focused on solar PV system orientation, tracking and aging. The SSRC includes multiple configurations of photovoltaic solar panel arrays, microinverters and an advanced energy-monitoring system, including trackers that follow the sun throughout the day, as well as southwest-facing solar PV systems to evaluate the utilization of afternoon sun, when electricity use is generally higher. The SSRC will be located on the campus of Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Ala.
