Welcome solar enthusiasts! If you’ve been keeping up with developments in the solar sector, you’ll understand how solar power, one of the most rapidly growing renewable sources of energy, has the potential to address the world’s energy problems. But what you might not know is how certain aspects of this technology, like solar arrays for home use and distributed energy resources (DERs), are reshaping the landscape of energy generation and distribution.
First, let’s talk about the solar industry and a major issue that it faces – interconnection backlog. This is a situation where the approval of new solar projects, particularly large-scale ones, is delayed due to various reasons. The result? Less green energy in the grid and higher energy costs due to supply-demand mismatch.
With many power producers abandoning conventional power generation methods and moving towards sustainable ones, there’s been a massive uptick in demand. The supply, unfortunately, is not meeting the increasing demand due to the aforementioned interconnection backlog and slow retirement of fossil-fuel powered plants.
Thankfully, solar companies having been stepping up with innovative solutions that leverage distributed energy resources (DERs). These include solar panels for your home and energy storage devices that, when pooled together, form what is known as ”virtual power plants” (VPPs).
Residential solar panels, a type of DER, are one of the most popular solutions provided by solar companies. Having a solar array for home use doesn’t just help you save on your electric bills, but it can also contribute to enhancing grid capacity. DERs bypass the interconnection backlog issue, as they are not interlinked at the transmission level, meaning they can be deployed more quickly and affordably.
However, just deploying DERs isn’t the complete solution. The intermittent nature of solar power generation necessitates supplemental systems that can achieve grid balance. That’s where energy management systems (EMS), driven by predictive software and real-time optimization techniques, come in. When coupled with solar energy storage, an intelligent EMS assists in efficient load management, peak shaving, and coincident peak reduction.
Now, you may be wondering, what are these terms? Let’s break these down:
1. Peak Shaving: Using predictive load forecasting, an intelligent EMS, when installed with energy storage, can ensure system reliability by reducing peak loads. This also benefits large commercial facilities by reducing their demand charges.
2. Load Management: The EMS helps manage the high-energy loads on distribution systems, reducing the operational strain on large industrial loads.
3. Coincident Peak Reduction: When an EMS is installed across multiple sites, it can stack site peak loads and system coincident peaks, bringing savings for both commercial and industrial customers and distribution system operators.
As I mentioned earlier, virtual power plants are a brilliant culmination of these solutions. Aggregating DERs, EMS, and energy storage, VPPs not just offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional power plants, but have also proven their value in stabilizing the grid.
Powerful and sustainable, VPPs are helping pave the way for a net-zero grid, maintaining energy reliability and affordability. They ensure that the demand for renewable energy generation is met, keeping up with the increasing grid capacity needs, all while helping consumers save on energy costs.
Taking advantage of advanced technologies like VPPs and intelligent EMS could expand the nation’s grid capacity significantly and combat the issue of high energy costs. The situation indeed requires urgent attention and action, but with solar entities continually innovating and focusing on solutions, the path to a greener future seems more achievable than ever.
So, if you’re considering going solar, know that you’re not just opting for a more affordable, clean energy source, you’re contributing to a sustainable, balanced grid. These days, choosing the right solar company doesn’t just mean selecting quality solar panels for your home, it also means choosing a solution that bolsters our collective leap towards a more sustainable, balanced national power grid.
Stay tuned for more updates on the dynamic world of solar energy!
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/09/23/how-to-fix-our-nations-growing-electricity-supply-problem/
