A spokesperson for the photovoltaics testing lab tells pv magazine that around USD$1.5 million has already been invested into the facilities, while "significant" additional investment is planned over the next few years.
PVEL launched operations at both sites in February. In a statement, it explains that an exclusive, long-term agreement with PV-USA in Davis, will allow it to utilize five acres of the institutions 90-acre site for testing PV in a commercially operating power plant. In a separate agreement, PVEL secured laboratory and office space alongside an 11,000 square foot outdoor yard space at the former Flint Ink factory in Berkeley.
The spokesperson goes on to say that the lab is currently fully staffed, but it will be growing its scientific and support staff at the two sites over the coming years.
Jenya Meydbray, CEO of PVEL comments: "The cities of Davis and Berkeley have been consistently committed to developing a viable and thriving North American solar industry. These two locations allow us to provide the comprehensive solar panel performance and reliability assessment services critical to supporting the rapid scale up of this industry."
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