UC Merced UC Merced Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Approaches To Integrating A HIgh Penertration Of Solar PV and CPV Onto The Electrical Grid Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6vq9z0mk Author Hill, Steven Craig Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED This is the Title of My Dissertation A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy In Approaches To Integrating A High Penetration Of Solar PV and CPV Onto The Electrical Grid By Steven Craig Hill Committee in charge: Assistant Professor Elliott Campbell, Chair Assistant Professor Yanbao Ma Associate Professor Jay Sharping Professor Roland Winston 2013 i ii The Dissertation of Steven Craig Hill is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: University of California, Merced 2013 Acknowledgement First I would thank my parents Lloyd and Beverly Hill. My mother was a perfect homemaker who always gave kind words of encouragement and always could see the good and potential in us. Dad was a great engineering leader for the United States Steel Corporation who transferred his practical engineering skills to helping neighbors with their landscaping, sprinkling systems, building projects and even animal control problems. Dad has always been the best neighbor I have ever known. Next I would like to thank my wife Lynn, the light of my life, and son Michael for their sacrifice in putting up with my absence the past six years. I appreciate their loyalty, patience and desire for me to finish the task. I express my love to the rest of the children Andy, Jenny, Rob and Craig and their wonderful spouses Cami, Mark, Amanda and Leanne. They have given me fourteen wonderful grandchildren: Drew, Brady, Addison, McKenna, Samantha, Abigail, Lidia, Molly, Charlotte, Jane, Max, McKenzie, Thomas and Evrett. I hope my effort will motivate them to seek a good education and serve the world well with their learning. I would like to especially acknowledge and thank Professor Roland Winston, my advisor and mentor. Without him I would have never begun or continued this adventure of the past six years. He inspires me to keep thinking. I express my appreciation to Professor Elliott Campbell, Professor Yanbao Ma, and Professor Jay Sharping for their time in serving on my Committee. Their comments have been very constructive and helpful in focusing my efforts. I also express thanks to Professor Gavilan, Shannon Adamson and Carrie King who have helped me acquire teaching assignments as well as Professor Tom Harmon, Lei Yue and Bob Rice for allowing me to help them teach. I also appreciate the Research Team from UC Merced consisting of” Paul Thompson, Hatem Elgaili, Guadalupe Martinez Chavez, Neekole Acorda, Brian Weikel, Luis Perez,Elizabeth Rivera, and Erika Marie Generoso for all their help in contacting staff of the Waste Water Treatment plant in California. I would like to thank past working colleagues Joel Yoder and Walt Swain from Westinghouse and Northrup Grumman, Roger Vanhoy and Greg Salyer from Modesto Irrigation District, Larry Gilbertson from Turlock Irrigation District , Jim Pope, Hari Modi, Ron Yuen, Tom Lee and Scott Tomashefsky from Northern California Power Agency and John Carrier from CH2MHill for their comments, encouragement and support. I express my thanks to Dr. Peter Reischl at San Jose State University who encouraged me to pursue this course twenty years ago and Kaye Larsen, my Provo High School math teacher, who took an interest and motivated me forty five years ago. iv Abstract The United States has ample potential renewable energy resources, especially in wind and solar having a combined 15,000 Gigawatts of potential capacity [1,2]. For the past 30 years, California has led the nation in promoting and using energy efficiency programs and has led the nation with the most aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals. Energy efficiency and demand response programs are key strategies for addressing climate change and meeting AB 32 (California ‘s 33% RPS law ). RPS goals have been adopted by 43 states that require on average 20% of energy delivered to customers by 2020 by from renewable resources [140]. Solar cost reductions, increasing cost of traditional resources, and Renewable Portfolio Standards have created the possibility of significant levels of distributed solar generation being installed on the grid and specifically, the distribution system [127]. Federal law requires grid modernization to enable an increased dependency on variable and distributed energy resources [143]. This means that existing market and grid control systems, based on traditional centralized resources and one-way distributed power flows, require new operational paradigms, systems architectures and market structures. California’s utility rate design and the NEM program for rooftop solar will also require future changes. Land use challenges, both local and remote, may lead to new applications of installing solar PV on water. Studies performed by the California Transmission Planning Group (CTPG) have shown the proposed “high potential” transmission upgrades may be insufficient, by themselves, to allow California to meet its 33% RPS goal. Because integrating a high penetration of distributed resources on to the distribution network is evolving with its own unique challenges, a floating water-borne solar PV design is discussed to assist in bridging the gap to assist in meeting RPS goals, energy efficiency goals and the Governor’s goal to achieve 12,000MW of distributed generation in California. The floating water-borne PV system is capable of installation on waste water treatment plant (WWT) settling ponds. California has more than 800 WWT plants and estimates predict floating water-borne PV on WWT ponds could potentially generate greater than 1000 MW without the need to build additional transmission. v Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 2.0 Challenges and Opportunities for Integrating Solar PV into Resource Portfolios to meet California’s RPS goals ............................................................. 6 2.1 Regulation and POlicy Challenges for solar PV .......................................................... 6 2.1.1 Utility Rate Design and NEM .................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Exclusion of Rooftop Solar PV from RPS Eligibility ................................................... 9 2.1.3 Distribution Reliability Problems ........................................................................... 10 2.2 High PV Penetration on Utility Distribution Systems ............................................... 12 2.2.1 Limitations Due To Clouds ..................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Voltage Regulation ................................................................................................. 15 2.3 The Land Challenge for Solar ................................................................................... 15 2.4 A LOCAL PV DEVELOPMENT OPTION‐ A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE ............................. 20 2.5 Specification for a Water‐borne System .................................................................. 22 2.5.1 Design for Life Cycle Cost ....................................................................................... 23 2.5.2 Structure ................................................................................................................ 23 2.5.3 Cabling .................................................................................................................... 24 2.5.4 Tracking .................................................................................................................. 24 2.5.5 Reliability and warranty ......................................................................................... 24 2.5.6 Electrical, Controls & Protection ............................................................................ 25 2.5.7 Maintainability ....................................................................................................... 26 2.5.8 Performance Tests ................................................................................................. 26 2.5.9 OTHER .................................................................................................................... 26 3.0 Floating Water-Borne PV application Consideration for Utility Application in California ............................................................................................................ 28 3.1 Waste Water Treatment Plants ............................................................................... 28 3.1.1 Activated Sludge .................................................................................................... 28 3.1.2 Fixed‐Growth Biological Systems ........................................................................... 29 3.1.3 Oxidation Ponds ..................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Floating Water‐Borne CPV System .......................................................................... 30 3.3 ALGAE IN WASTE WATER TREATMENT ...................................................................