skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Deploying effectively dispatchable PV on reservoirs: Comparing floating PV to other renewable technologies
Award ID(s):
1638936
PAR ID:
10137378
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Solar Energy
Volume:
174
Issue:
C
ISSN:
0038-092X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
837 to 847
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Compared to a conventional mono-facial photovoltaic (PV) module, a bifacial one is more efficient as it receives light from not only the front but also the backside. The daily irradiance profile of a bifacial PV module is of a two-peak trajectory that almost coincides with the morning and evening peak demands. This interesting property helps distribution network operators better handle the issues caused by the abundance of conventional PVs during midday (i.e., Duck curve). Moreover, this two-humped profile can be incorporated into network operation strategies such as conservation voltage reduction (CVR). Thus, this paper proposes a new CVR framework that best uses the double-peak profile of bifacial PV modules to improve the voltage profile of a distribution network. The proposed framework optimally coordinates legacy voltage control devices, including on-load tap changers and voltage regulators, as well as Volt/VAr control of smart inverters. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is simulated and verified on the well-known modified 34-bus system using the Matlab-COM-OpenDSS platform. The results clearly demonstrate the advantages of bifacial PVs over their mono-facial counterparts. 
    more » « less
  2. Much has been written on the rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption in the U.S., but granular economic assessment at large scale is missing. We provide household level PV economic assessment for a medium size city in North Central Florida, and analyze the economic viability of these installations. Results show that a large number of households will not benefit from solar installations. Further, economic viability is heavily reliant on incentives whose future is uncertain at best. Our analysis did not reveal significant variations in economic viability across different household values --- a proxy we used to differentiate household wealth. Yet, building permits and installation locations indicate economically disadvantaged communities have much lower installation rates as has been the main conclusion in the earlier literature. We argue economic assessment for PV should extend beyond simple benefit--cost analysis. A more nuanced approach should be taken in PV feasibility assessment, and structuring incentive schemes. 
    more » « less
  3. Solar energy has the potential to offset a significant fraction of non-renewable electricity demands globally, yet it may occupy extensive areas when deployed at this level. There is growing concern that large renewable energy installations will displace other land uses. Where should future solar power installations be placed to achieve the highest energy production and best use the limited land resource? The premise of this work is that the solar panel efficiency is a function of the location’s microclimate within which it is immersed. Current studies largely ignore many of the environmental factors that influence Photovoltaic (PV) panel function. A model for solar panel efficiency that incorporates the influence of the panel’s microclimate was derived from first principles and validated with field observations. Results confirm that the PV panel efficiency is influenced by the insolation, air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity. The model was applied globally using bias-corrected reanalysis datasets to map solar panel efficiency and the potential for solar power production given local conditions. Solar power production potential was classified based on local land cover classification, with croplands having the greatest median solar potential of approximately 28 W/m2. The potential for dual-use, agrivoltaic systems may alleviate land competition or other spatial constraints for solar power development, creating a significant opportunity for future energy sustainability. Global energy demand would be offset by solar production if even less than 1% of cropland were converted to an agrivoltaic system. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Solar energy has the potential to offset a significant fraction of non-renewable electricity demands globally, yet it may occupy extensive areas when deployed at this level. There is growing concern that large renewable energy installations will displace other land uses. Where should future solar power installations be placed to achieve the highest energy production and best use the limited land resource? The premise of this work is that the solar panel efficiency is a function of the location’s microclimate within which it is immersed. Current studies largely ignore many of the environmental factors that influence Photovoltaic (PV) panel function. A model for solar panel efficiency that incorporates the influence of the panel’s microclimate was derived from first principles and validated with field observations. Results confirm that the PV panel efficiency is influenced by the insolation, air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity. The model was applied globally using bias-corrected reanalysis datasets to map solar panel efficiency and the potential for solar power production given local conditions. Solar power production potential was classified based on local land cover classification, with croplands having the greatest median solar potential of approximately 28 W/m2. The potential for dual-use, agrivoltaic systems may alleviate land competition or other spatial constraints for solar power development, creating a significant opportunity for future energy sustainability. Global energy demand would be offset by solar production if even less than 1% of cropland were converted to an agrivoltaic system. 
    more » « less