Solar Energy Grid Integration

Doe sandia national laboratories private sector companies electric utilities and universities.

Solar energy grid integration.

On september 1 2011 doe announced 25 9 million to fund eight solar projects that are targeting ways to develop power electronics and build smarter more interactive systems and components so that solar energy can be integrated into the electric power distribution and transmission grid at higher levels. Initiated in 2008 the solar energy grid integration systems segis program is a partnership involving the u s. Planning and operation understanding the impacts of increasing penetration of solar energy on grid reliability and power quality and addressing the variability of solar generation and two way power flows. Robust integration methods maximize the cost effectiveness of incorporating variable re into the power system while maintaining or increasing system stability and reliability.

The systems integration team focuses on five research areas to enable seamless integration of solar energy onto a modernized electric grid. The western wind and solar integration study examines the benefits and challenges of integrating significant wind and solar energy to the western interconnection which covers the power system operated by the westconnect group of utilities in arizona colorado nevada new mexico and wyoming. Ncsl s new publication integrating renewable energy investigates how wind and solar technologies as they become a major players in our energy supply are affecting the grid. The scale of these markets is described in table 1.

Integration technology has become important due to the world s energy requirements which imposed significant need for different methods by which energy can be produced or integrated in addition to the fact that integration of solar energy into non renewable sources is important as it reduces the rates of. In this paper recent trends in power electronics for the integration of wind and photovoltaic pv power generators are presented. Less than 10 kw single phase. It also explores policy options that support the integration of wind and solar resources.

Grid integration spans a variety of issues including. Table 1 applications scale residential. The study consists of three phases. Projects supported under the program have focused on the complete system development of solar technologies with the.

Solar energy grid integration systems may be configured to address any combination of these market application segments and may be modular in nature. Part of the sunshot systems integration efforts the solar energy grid integration. A grid connected photovoltaic system or grid connected pv system is an electricity generating solar pv power system that is connected to the utility grid a grid connected pv system consists of solar panels one or several inverters a power conditioning unit and grid connection equipment they range from small residential and commercial rooftop systems to large utility scale solar power stations.