Description

Many facilities are being considered for the installation of solar PV systems, which are an essential part of any clean energy microgrid.However, the solar resource is variable and intermittent, requiring other sources of generation, or energy storage, for a complete and resilientdesign. This paper presents the results of a 1MW solar PV microgrid model located at a large Michigan, USA commercial facility. Thesimulated annual PV output is connected to the customer side of the power meter, and the cost savings is analyzed against a largecommercial, time-of-day electrical billing rate. A popular solar PV simulation software tool is used to model the hourly PV output againstthe customer electrical interval data for one year, in order to present both operational cost savings and performance of: 1) an upsized solarDC array, “30% oversized DC array”, 2) the addition of an 8MWh LiION battery, and 3) the addition of a 1 MW natural gasgenerator. Working with real pricing provided by engine generator and battery OEM quotations, the capital cost, fuel usage, maintenance,20-year lifecycle cost and carbon savings will be compared for all variations needed to produce a firm 8-hours of “on-peak” power from thebase 1 MW of solar PV. The results will demonstrate the value and potential of hybrid microgrid systems, as well as the limitations oflarge LiION batteries as compared to a natural gas generator.

Citation: 2021 Virtual Conference Papers

Product Details

Published:

2021

Number of Pages:

8

Units of Measure:

Dual

File Size:

1 file , 960 KB

Product Code(s):

D-VC-21-C022