UTILITIES’ FEARS ABOUT NEW ENERGY

Utilities Look To Mitigate Renewable Integration Challenges

Angela Beniwal, 11 June 2012 (Renew Grid)

“The amount of [variable renewable energies like wind and solar] on the grid is increasing globally and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future…Smart grid technologies can go a long way in alleviating integration issues. Up until recently, investment in this type of technology - including high-voltage, direct-current transmission, flexible alternating current transmission, phasor measurement units, and wind and solar forecasting - has focused on wholesale transmission……[But] the worldwide power system is moving… to a distributed generation (DG) system…

“Smart grid technologies currently represent revenues of over $3.8 billion, according to a recent Pike Research study. Out of this, microgrids dominate, with more than $3 billion in economic activity, or 81%...[Microgrids in Pike's study refer to remote systems that operate as a backup in areas such as Alaska or developing countries…By 2018, microgrids are still expected to represent a large share of smart grid integration technology, but demand response (DR) will increase…”

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“…[California utilities] are quickly learning how to properly handle variable resources, especially at the distribution level…California has…set a goal of [33 percent renewables and] 12 GW of distributed generation by 2020…[C]hallenges remain…[S]olar photovoltaic power causes operational concerns related to maintenance and voltage regulation. Most PV inverters cannot adequately regulate voltage…and as a result, there tends to be higher voltages on the distribution system…SDG&E is conducting technical studies and demonstration projects to determine the effects of additional renewable distributed energy generation (RDEG). Field measurements indicate significant impacts to system performance on distribution circuits with high levels of conventional DG…[The] smart grid plan is expected to address the impact of RDEG intermittency, as will better forecasting…

“Renewable energy companies are stepping up to the plate with technology that addresses integration issues. For example, Siemens' 3.6 MW SWT wind turbine provides frequency regulation, over and under frequency and ramp control…Petra Solar's smart energy solution includes automated ramp-rate management that reduces voltage disturbances through [gradual ramping and a] controlled return to full power…”

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