The second part of the research age

The second part of the research agenda is the development of the dedicated research array, the NSERC. As shown in Figure 15, this is a completely separate and much smaller array than the solar farm. The NSERC will be used as a testing ground for all the different component parts of solar power technology. This 1 MW array would generate power that would remain behind the meter at Brookhaven National Laboratory, helping the lab move toward its internal sustainability goals (Lofaro 2012). As of this publication, the land has been cleared for development, but the NSERC is still in its design phase. Construction is set to take place in the fall, and the NSERC is expected to be open for research in early 2013.