SOLAR PROGRAM: SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
The Parker Ranch installation in Hawaii
Solar Energy Technology Program
SEGIS Overview
Kevin Lynn
Systems Integration Team Lead
Solar Energy Technology Program
December 8, 2010
1 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
What are we doing now:
Implementing “Imagine the world”?
• Introducing SunShot: we will enable this world
• We are working with US industry, national labs and academia
to innovate and lay the foundation for a subsidy-free solar
electricity infrastructure that is broadly competitive with fossil
fuel based electricity
2 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
What is SunShot?
• Price and date targets
– 5-6c/kWh installed at the MW scale by
end of decade
– Unsubsidized grid parity in residential
and commercial markets by end of
decade
• Transformational technologies
– PV Modules
– BOS
– Power Electronics
3 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
Strong Solar markets enabled by
SunShot
20%
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
2010
Total PV Generation Fraction
$1/Watt
$1.50/Watt
SP targets
$2/Watt
Reference
2020
2030
2040
2050
Goodrich, Margolis, et al, NREL
4 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
4
eere.energy.gov
Vision for Systems Integration
•
•
•
Grid Integration
– There will be a well established, timely
and cost effective process for integrating
high penetrations of PV into utility
transmission and distribution systems
while providing maximum value to the
PV system owner and utility.
Technology Validation
– A solar industry in which uncertainty in
performance, lifetime, durability, and
availability, has been drastically
reduced; thereby reducing risk and the
$/W cost associated with that risk.
Solar Resource
– Characterize and forecast the solar
resource to provide better predict the
power and energy output of PV
systems. Improve the forecast of the
solar resource to better integrate solar
into electric utility systems.
5 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
Grid Integration
•
•
•
•
Distributed Generation
Transmission
High Penetration
Smart Grid Integration
Balance of
Systems
• System Components
R&D
• Inverters & Storage
• SEGIS
SI
Technology
Validation
•
•
•
•
Testing & Evaluation
Reliability
Codes & Standards
Modeling & Analysis
Solar Resource
•
•
•
•
Forecasting
Mapping
Radiometry
NOAA & Wind
Collaborative
eere.energy.gov
Mission Statement
• The DGI activity’s mission is to reach our vision of
integrating high penetrations of solar in a safe,
reliable, and cost effective way by:
– Developing advanced grid-friendly interconnection solar technologies
– Developing validated inverter and system models and simulation
tools to support analysis of solar integration on the distribution
system
– Addressing the variability of the solar system output and developing
solutions to minimize the impact on electric power systems
– Demonstrating the feasibility(safe, reliable, and cost effective) of high
penetration solar scenarios under a wide range of system conditions
through lab and field testing
– Developing and updating standards and codes that enable high solar
penetrations
– Collaborating with industry and other stakeholders to inform and get
feedback
6 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
Vision for SEGIS
Communication-Connected Distributed Solar and Storage Systems Serving
as beneficial distribution system assets allowing greater amounts of solar to
be integrated into the utility grid
7 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
Solar Energy Grid Integrations
Systems (SEGIS)
• Add SEGIS Slides Here
8 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
SEGIS Stage 3– Status
SEGIS Stage 3 Downsized from five to four Contractors
Lead Company
Short Project Title
Apollo Solar
Advanced Grid-tied Inverter, Charge Cont, Energy Monitor, Internet Gateway
EMTEC
SEGIS - Emerson PV Inverter Development
Enphase
Nano-inverters with VAr Control and EMS
GE
Grid Integration of High-penetration Solar Energy
Nextek Power Sys
PV Interface Providing Concurrent AC & DC Power Network Support
Petra Solar
Economically Viable, Highly Integrated, Highly Modular SEGIS Architecture
Premium Power
Intelligent PV Inverter
Princeton Power
Demand Response Inverter
PV Powered
MPPT and EMS Advancements
Smart Spark
Alternating Current PV Module with System Interface
U Central FL –FSEC Grid-Smart Inverters
VPT Inc
9 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
Inverter Cont Card (ICC), Bidirectional Power Conversion(BPC), Power Hub
Control (PHC), Integrated Power Hub (IPH)
eere.energy.gov
Maximum Power Point Tracking, Advanced
EMS and Utility Integration (PVPowered)
Technologies Addressed
Optimized Performance Algorithms, Advanced
Data Collection, Communications and Energy
Management Systems (EMS).
Description
PV Powered and its team will develop a suite of
maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms
to optimize energy production from the full range
of available and emerging PV module
technologies. The work will also develop
integration of communications with facility energy
management systems and utility grid
management networks.
Participants
Lead
PVPowered
Dr. Steve
Hummel
Resources ($)
DOE Max (3 stages)
DOE Stage1 (max)
Cost Share per stage
$6,250K
$250K
20% - 20% - 50%
10 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
Portland
General Electric
South Dakota
State University
Northern Plains
Power
Technologies
eere.energy.gov
PV Powered SEGIS Program
Objectives
Challenges
High Penetration of PV
results in:
– Voltage instability
– Power quality
– Safety – unintentional
island
Reducing Levelized Cost of
Energy (LCOE):
– Energy Harvest
– Total System Cost
11 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
Program Objectives
1. Develop and commercialize
– Alternate island detection technique
using synchrophasors
– Next generation utility command and
control functions
2. Deploy next generation inverter system to
sites with utility integration challenges
1. Develop and commercialize advanced
MPPT algorithm that works with all PV
technologies
2. Dynamic MPPT test plan
3. Develop communications protocols and
validate PV system compatibility with facility
energy management systems
4. Develop and commercialize advanced
inverter communications platform for
emerging smart grid
eere.energy.gov
Stage 2 Projects and
Core Team
Task
Description
Lead
“Task 1”
Advanced MPPT
Michael Mills-Price
“Task 2”
EMS Integration
Eric Valleton
“Task 3”
String Monitoring and Control
Mesa Scharf
“Task 4”
Mitigation of Weather Transients
Michael Ropp
“Task 5”
Utility Communications and
Control
Michael Mills-Price
“Task 6”
Platform Integration
Secondary controller and UI
SEGIS DB and API
Mesa Scharf
12 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
Advanced BOS
Balance of system
optimization
–
–
–
–
–
Next generation smart combiner
Power over DC bus
Communications over DC bus
Ground fault detection per string
Interrupt per combiner
System integration
–
–
Data flows through comm. hub
in inverter to central database
Data made available to relevant
stakeholders
13 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
Petra Solar: Economically Viable, Highly
Integrated, Highly Modular SEGIS Architecture
Technologies Addressed
Smart Grid Interconnection, System Cost, Modularity, System Reliability, Safety, and Advanced Scalable
Inverters. AC PV modules aimed at utility ownership and control.
Description
Smart Grid Interconnection, System Cost, Modularity, System Reliability, Safety, and Advanced
Scalable Inverters. low cost, easy-to-install, modular/scalable inverter architectures that are scalable
from 5kW to 20kW. Advances in multi-layer control, communications, monitoring and controlling a
cluster of AC module inverters, and a strategic EMS switch junction box
Funding($) DOE/Cost Share
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
$100K/$374K
$2.993M/$3.0M
$3.0M/$5.278M
Recommendation: Yes
Advanced their 120V AC Module system to 240V SEGIS system, all functionalities operated as proposed,
communication advances good, transition from legacy to SEGIS mode meets UL today, NO witness test
failures, potential to greatly improve cost and reliability with 3 integrated circuits under development, no
thermal issues, stated utility marketing plan, utility partners ID’ed for demo, US manufacturing in place.
Participants
Petra Solar, Florida Power Electronics Center, Florida Solar Energy Center, Lakeland
Electric, Echelon, PSE&G, First Energy, Pepco Holdings
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION - PLEASE DO NOT CIRCULATE
14 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
Development, Validation and Commercialization
of Grid-Smart Inverters for Wider PV Technology
Utilization (Florida Solar Energy Center at UCF)
Technologies Addressed
Utility Control of Enhanced Inverter Features,
Disturbance-tolerant Anti-Islanding, Shared
Inverter, Energy Storage, Building Interaction.
Description
The FSEC and UCF team will develop new concepts and
enhance “Smart Grid” development. A “shared” inverter
serving multiple residential or commercial PV arrays
located at a distribution transformer will be developed.
Work includes battery storage, utility control,
communication, monitoring, or building energy
management systems (BEMS). An “anti-islanding”
strategy that allows PV on line during grid disturbances
will improve grid stability. New inverter architectures will
bring more stability to the grid.
Resources ($)
DOE Max (3 stages)
DOE Stage1 (max)
Cost Share per stage
$6,250K
$250K
20% - 20% - 50%
15 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
t
Participants
0
Lead
SatCon
University of
SENTECH Inc.
Central
Florida
EnFlex
Robert Reedy
(FSEC/UCF)
SunEdison
Northern Plains
Power
Technologies
Lakeland Electric
Utilities
eere.energy.gov
Economically Viable, Highly Integrated,
Highly Modular SEGIS Architecture (Petra Solar)
Technologies Addressed
Smart Grid Interconnection, System Cost,
Modularity, System Reliability, Safety, and
Advanced Scalable Inverters.
Description
Petra Solar and its team will advance grid
interconnection, cost reductions, system reliability,
and safety through low cost, easy-to-install, modular
and scalable inverter power architectures that are
scalable from 5kW to 20kW. Advances include multilayer control, communication architecture, monitoring
and controlling a cluster of AC module inverters, and
a strategic EMS switch junction box.
Resources ($)
Participants
Lead
Petra Solar
DOE Total
DOE Stage 1
Cost Share (total)
$6,250K
$250K
20% - 20% - 50%
16 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
Adje Mensah
Florida Power
Electronics Center
Florida Solar
Energy Center
Lakeland Electric
Echelon
BP Solar
Evergreen Solar
eere.energy.gov
SEGIS System Architecture
Utility grid
AC PV
systems
Wide Area
Networks
Web
interface
AC –coupled storage
Control and Comms.
Module (ConCom)
SEGIS Development
Highlights
17 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
17
eere.energy.gov
Florida Solar Energy Center at UCF / Satcon:
Development, Validation and Commercialization of
Grid-Smart Inverters for Wider PV Technology Utilization
Technologies Addressed
Utility Control of Enhanced Inverter Features, Disturbance-tolerant Anti-Islanding, Shared Inverter, Energy
Storage, Building Interaction
Description
Develop new concepts and enhance “Smart Grid” development. Develop “Shared” inverter and
controls that serve multiple PV arrays. Include battery storage, utility control, communication,
monitoring, or building energy management systems (BEMS). Develop an “anti-islanding” strategy that
keeps PV on line during grid disturbances to improve grid stability.
Funding($) DOE/Cost Share
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
$250/$67K
$1.350M/$732K
$725K/$725K
Recommendation: W/ Funding
The subcontractor (Satcon) advances PV emerging into smart grids with the utility controlling islanding and
under voltage ride thru functionality. The dc-dc conversion and a dc bus adds flexibility for energy storage
and micro-grid. The string combiner can improve performance, safety and reliability while enabling mixed PV
technologies, optimal energy harvest, reduced BOS costs, and optimal inverter performance. Utility
permissive control allows LVRT, VAR sourcing, constant PF control. Demo plans in place with Lakeland,
Participants
UCF/FSEC, SatCon, SENTECH Inc., SunEdison, Northern Plains Power Technologies, Lakeland Electric,
Cooper Power Systems EAS
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION - PLEASE DO NOT CIRCULATE
18 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
SEGIS-FSEC Team:
GSIA, System Functionality
 Grid-Smart Inverter Architecture
 Utility control capabilities
 Advanced power management functions
 Ride-through capability
 Grid-Smart Shared Inverter
 String level conversion and MPPT
 Mitigation of shading, soiling, mismatch losses
 Enhanced safety – better detection and reporting of fault currents
 Site Controller
 Aggregate control of inverters – optimized management of
resources
 PLC Anti-Islanding
 More reliable anti-islanding
 Enables ride-through
19 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
SEGIS-FSEC Team:
System Advantages
• Utility Control Options
– Local autonomy and fallback modes when not available or wanted
• Secure Ride-Through when generation is needed most
– Anti-Island method fast & secure under all contingencies.
– Handles most common problem: 1 phase down-wire with 3 phase inverters
downstream (frequency does not change, power angle does not drift)
• Stiffens entire grid load-up, rather than plant-down
– VAR supply/sink today
– Transient real power (inertia) tomorrow (w/ fast storage on DC bus)
• Shared Inverter with string-level Converter
– Economic advantages
– Fire and shock safety advantages
– Improved integration with regulated DC bus (e.g. integral storage, DC
networks)
20 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
SEGIS-FSEC Team:
Shared Inverter Concept
21 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov
SEGIS-FSEC Team:
Shared Inverter Concept
• System architecture with regulated DC bus
22 | Program Name or Ancillary Text
eere.energy.gov