Hello, sunshine! If there’s one thing you’re already aware of as a follower of my blog, it’s that I am passionate about all-things-solar. Today, I gleaned some fascinating insights from a recent conference of utility regulators in North Carolina that I can’t wait to share with you. It’s no secret that I pine for a world where every home has a solar array, and every solar company is able to flexibly and swiftly innovate to meet growing customer needs. This conference imparted some knowledge that could revolutionize not only the speed of setting up solar panels for your home but also significantly reduce the cost of interconnection for larger solar projects.
Duke Energy Progress, a major player in the solar game, announced a significant investment of $470 million to interconnect about 1.9 GW of proposed solar and solar-plus-storage projects in North and South Carolina. However, this substantial expenditure, and many like it, could potentially be avoided by introducing a more flexible interconnection service that thrives on occasional curtailment of solar generation.
Currently, North Carolina does not permit flexible interconnection for state-jurisdictional projects. This rigid approach to interconnection has been at the expense of solar developers, ratepayers, and utility staff – just about everyone involved in the process, really. However, the innovative concept of flexible interconnection has evident feasibility and utility. For instance, Texas has seen rapid growth of its solar industry by allowing a form of flexible interconnection, outpacing even solar powerhouse California.
The “Connect and Manage” approach employed by Texas’ ERCOT could be adapted for any electricity market with a capacity market alongside an energy market. Why is this exciting? Because they’ve found a better way to integrate more utility-scale solar and solar-plus-storage, all without the pricey network upgrades. Essentially, they’ve made more efficient use of the resources already invested in their existing networks.
If adopted elsewhere in the U.S., including in North Carolina, this strategy could drastically reduce network upgrade costs. In the realm of renewable energy – and any business, really – lower costs mean a growth in production capability and a wider reach. Reducing the financial burden on utilities can make it easier to match the pace of other ongoing network upgrades, without overwhelming construction teams and planning units.
Eliminating the need for major network upgrades could also reduce the cost of power purchasing agreement (PPA) prices for ratepayers, offering several financial advantages. We all value our pocketbooks as much as the planet, after all.
Flexibility is indeed one of the flavors of the decade. The Department of Energy has also emphasized the importance of more flexible interconnection options in their recent interconnection roadmap. It appears the landscape continues to shift towards a more flexible, strategic outlook on harnessing and integrating solar power on a also large scale.
So, if you’re exploring solar companies, building your own solar array for home, or just interested in the advancement of renewable energy, remember this: The sun doesn’t always have to be shining for you to derive value from solar. With flexible interconnection and strategic curtailment, your panels could be working smarter, not harder. I look forward to discovering more innovative ideas like this as the industry evolves, and sharing them right here with you. Until then, let’s soak up the rays and keep turning that sunshine into grid-tie goodness!
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/06/11/flexible-interconnection-with-curtailed-output-can-benefit-everyone-analyst-says/
