Evaluating the limits of solar photovoltaics (PV) in traditional
electric power systems
Energy Policy, (2007)Zusammenfassung
In this work, we examine some of the limits to large-scale deployment
of solar photovoltaics (PV) in traditional electric power systems.
Specifically, we evaluate the ability of PV to provide a large fraction
(up to 50%) of a utility systemâs energy by comparing hourly output
of a simulated large PV system to the amount of electricity actually
usable. The simulations use hourly recorded solar insolation and
load data for Texas in the year 2000 and consider the constraints
of traditional electricity generation plants to reduce output and
accommodate intermittent PV generation. We find that under high penetration
levels and existing grid-operation procedures and rules, the system
will have excess PV generation during certain periods of the year.
Several metrics are developed to examine this excess PV generation
and resulting costs as a function of PV penetration at different
levels of system flexibility. The limited flexibility of base load
generators produces increasingly large amounts of unusable PV generation
when PV provides perhaps 10â20% of a systemâs energy. Measures
to increase PV penetration beyond this range will be discussed and
quantified in a follow-up analysis.