Optimal Planning for Utility Generation by Photovoltaic Sources Spread Across Multiple Sites

Abstract

A new multiunit optimization algorithm is formulated to plan participation by photovoltaic sources with significant penetration in utility generation. The focus is on the minimization of the overall levelized cost of energy, with constraints on demand, capacity as decided by penetration, efficiency levels, and various cost components. Collector areas, unit ratings, and required investment evolve as part of the plan.A case study involving a utility service area, inclusive of 12 potential installation sites, is used to illustrate features of the algorithm.

Cooperative control strategy for multiple photovoltaic generators in distribution networks

“…The world is approaching peak oil and the ability to produce high-quality, inexpensive and economically extractable oil on demand is diminishing. Therefore in recent years, there have been an increasing amount of photovoltaics (PVs) integrated into the modern distribution networks due to their clean and renewable features, and the connection of a large amount of PVs will have far reaching consequences in the distribution network [1,2].…”

Storage requirements for PV power ramp-rate control in a PV fleet

“…Moreover, other studies have issued some guidelines to optimise the geographic distribution of PV plants in order to smooth the fluctuations of a PV fleet (Collins and Crowther, 2011;Roy, 2006;Urquhart et al, 2013). Thus, it makes sense to allocate an ESS in a network node in which a number of PV plants converge, expecting some savings in terms of the ESS capacity required to limit the total ramp-rate fluctuations due to geographic smoothing.…”

Modeling of High-Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems for Utility-Scale Applications

“…Although numerous utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems have been researched and installed during the last several decades, the cost of energy generation has remained high compared with other types of energy-generation systems. In comparing the energy generation cost for utility-scale power plants, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is widely used and defined as the cost of generating electricity over the system's lifetime accounting for initial investment, financing, cost for operations and maintenance, cost of fuel, and some other expenses [1,2]. One of the essential way to reduce the LCOE of a utility-scale PV system is to optimize system-specific parameters through accurate system modeling.…”