Assessing the load matching capability of photovoltaics for US utilities based upon satellite-derived insolation data

Author

Perez, Richard ; Seals, Robert ; Stewart, Ronald

Author_Institution

Atmos. Sci. Res. Center, State Univ. of New York, Albany, NY, USA

fYear

1993

fDate

10-14 May 1993

Firstpage

1146

Lastpage

1151

Abstract

The load matching capability of photovoltaic (PV) power generation is estimated for 20 electric utilities in the continental US. Load matching is determined experimentally by analyzing the interaction between the load requirements of each utility and the output of locally-sited PV plants. PV output is simulated using site/time specific hourly insolation data inferred from geostationary satellite-based remote cloud cover measurement. As quantified with four independent benchmarks, PV load matching capability is found to be substantial for several utilities. A well defined relationship is observed between a utility´s summer-to-winter peak load ratio (SWP ratio) and the load matching capability for that utility. Many of the highest load matching occurrences are found in locations not traditionally targeted for solar energy development, namely: the central US and the Mid-Atlantic seaboard

Keywords

electricity supply industry; load (electric); photovoltaic power systems; project engineering; solar power stations; sunlight; USA; electric utilities; hourly insolation data; load matching capability; load requirements; photovoltaic power generation; power plants; remote cloud cover measurements; solar energy; summer-to-winter peak load ratio; Clouds; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic systems; Satellites; Seals; Solar energy; Solar power generation; Solar radiation; State estimation; Time measurement;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1993., Conference Record of the Twenty Third IEEE

Conference_Location

Louisville, KY

Print_ISBN

0-7803-1220-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/PVSC.1993.346962

Filename

346962