(Speaker60037)Sustainable Load Balancing: Integrating Distributed Natural Gas, Solar PV, Energy Storage Assets

摘要

It is an understatement to say that 2015 has been a banner year for sustainable energy in the United States. Over the past 12 months we’ve continued to see strong growth across nearly every sustainable niche, announced the strongest federal regulation plan to date, and (as of this writing) are working towards signing a potentially historic international agreement in Paris. For the most part, it is safe to say that the nation has finally moved passed the “if” question with respect to climate change action, allowing us to fully prioritize the more difficult and far more nuanced question of “how.”While many deserve credit for generating this momentum, no single factor has been more important to the sustainability movement than the evolution of rooftop solar PV. But as incredible innovation has propelled rooftop solar from a small niche technology into a viable mainstream alternative, a new set of challenges have emerged that threaten to slow continued adoption. Most gravely, the recent success of rooftop solar has pushed the historically contentious relationship between distributed generation advocates and central utilities to a tipping point. The fallout from this battle has the potential to cripple the growth trajectory of distributed solutions, so it is imperative for the sustainable community to work together towards a viable resolution.Factually, if renewables and utilities continue to approach the integration of solar PV as a zero sum game, both parties are going to suffer. Alternatively, options exist by which both parties can achieve a greater expected outcome by working together. While many of these alternatives are inherently complex and may require years of commitment to enact, microgrid solutions offer an avenue by which utilities and renewable developers can capture significant value over both the short and long term.Microgrids consisting of reciprocating engine generators, battery storage systems, and solar PV assets have tremendous value in today’s market. Unfortunately, this value is rarely captured, because renewable companies and utilities approach project development in isolation. By partnering, however, it is possible to improve the economic, operational, and environmental benefits of microgrids by unlocking synergistic efficiencies.By partnering with utilities on microgrid development, we believe that it is possible to reduce utility technical concerns with respect to rooftop solar PV in the short term, while simultaneously delivering economic upside to all involved. Furthermore, while microgrids may ultimately be a niche solution, the relationships that can be built through short term co-development, are critical to the long term goal of totally eliminating barriers to rooftop solar development.