Terra Pave Albedo is finalist in Dept. of Energy's AMERICAN MADE SOLAR PRIZE competition, increasing bifacial power generation ~15% or more

LOS ANGELES, July 7, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Beckett Solar Energy (http://www.beckettsolar.com) announces that because of the potential high-positive-impact that Terra Pave Albedo can have on the future of bifacial power generation, the product has advanced to become one of ten finalists in the prestigious AMERICAN-MADE SOLAR PRIZE competition from NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Energy USA).

The next level of testing of Terra Pave products will begin soon at the globally recognized SANDIA National Laboratories, USA Department of Energy and at NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratories, USA Department of Energy.

The American-Made Solar Prize's mission is to energize U.S. solar manufacturing by furthering innovative solutions that can potentially shape the future of solar. The competition is designed to strengthen and scale the very best ideas and teams from around the country through three progressive prize competitions.

In use for 4 years in the USA, 2 years in Central and South America, one year in Africa, and only recently in Asia, the use of Terra Pave in the past was on roads, car parks, and military paths. Terra Pave Albedo has not yet been used in solar farms – solar is a new application for Terra Pave Albedo. However, as proposed in the AMERICAN-MADE SOLAR PRIZE entry, Terra Pave Albedo has shown potential to significantly reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for solar installations.

What is the potential high-positive-impact of Terra Pave Albedo on solar installations?

It can increase the MW output and predictability of bifacial solar panels. Predicting the power output of bifacial panels to create accurate revenue models has always been challenging because it's dependent upon the ground substrate behind the modules. With its white-as-snow color, Terra Pave Albedo provides a surface with a consistently high reflective albedo equal to that of 0.81, 365 days per year. That enables easier financial modeling, accurate engineering design, and accurate prediction output/revenue for bifacial panels.

WITHOUT Terra Pave Albedo, the natural ground has an albedo of 5-25%. WITH Terra Pave Albedo, which equals albedo of snow, the bifacial power increase could be up to 30% (depending upon the type of panel used).

Terra Pave Albedo can decrease O&M costs. According to a 2018 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for utility-scale projects, solar module cleaning is the second-largest expense. (https://analysis.newenergyupdate.com/pv-insider/us-solar-maintenance-costs-plummet-tech-gains-multiply) The nature of environmentally friendly Terra Pave Albedo eliminates the need for labor-intensive, repeat applications of weed killers, and climate wrecking concrete and petroleum-based asphalt road construction that comes with the generation of toxic fumes and high costs.

Terra Pave products enable the creation of cost-effective, eco-friendly access roads.

Multiple variables impact the price and economics of Terra Pave Products, including location, geotechnical data, size of area containing solar panels, number of access roads and expected traffic, PPA and additional income generated, total O&M costs, land use of the project, and more. Terra Pave Products can decrease mounting structure installation cost because it has physical attributes that make Terra Pave 3x stronger in tensile and compressive strength than cement stabilization.

Sharon Bailey Beckett, managing partner of Beckett Solar Energy (marketer of Terra Pave), expresses gratitude, "Thank you to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, (NREL) Department of Energy USA, for the prize money and the support given in accelerating the development of new products. Terra Pave International and Eco-Estates International teams are committed to helping solve the difficult problems facing solar energy. We're excited about the positive economic impact Terra Pave Albedo can have on bifacial solar installations."

SOURCE Beckett Solar Energy