EAGER: Solar Aware Smart Grid at Biosphere 2

智慧价值将大量的太阳能发电整合到现有的电网中是有问题的，因为电力只在白天产生，而且可能会被经过的云层中断。这种间歇性导致电力生产和电力消耗之间的不匹配，这限制了需要稳定可靠电源的公用事业公司和大规模电力用户采用太阳能。发现补偿间歇的新方法将加快太阳能的采用，减少二氧化碳排放，并通过节约不可再生资源来改善国家安全。为了适应间歇性，我们将按分钟调整工业规模的电力需求，以响应测量和预测的太阳能发电。我们将在亚利桑那州的生物圈2号进行实验，在那里我们将使用现场现有的70kW太阳能光伏组件的测量和预测输出来调节两个75马力(56kW)水泵的运行。水泵将两口井中的水输送到50万加仑的水库中。如果根据光伏组件产生的功率适当地调节水泵的活动，与单独的光伏组件相比，联合系统(光伏+水泵)的发电量的变化性将会降低。在这一领域已经做了大量的理论工作，拟议的项目将提供急需的实验数据。更广泛的影响我们的实验结果将告诉大型电力用户，如亚利桑那大学、城市公用事业公司图森水务和亚利桑那州中部项目(CAP)使用更多太阳能的经济高效和安全的方法。它还将使各行各业能够规划更大的太阳能发电场，而不需要进行净计量。研究生和本科生将从参与中受益。

Intellectual MeritIntegrating large amounts of solar power into the existing electric grid is problematic because power is only produced during daylight hours, and can be interrupted by passing clouds. This intermittency leads to a mismatch between power production and power consumption, which limits the adoption of solar power by utility companies and large-scale power users who require a stable and reliable power source. Discovering new ways to compensate for intermittency will accelerate the adoption of solar power, will reduce CO2 emissions, and will improve national security by conserving non-renewable resources. To accommodate intermittency, we will regulate industrial-scale electrical demands on a minute-by-minute basis in response to measured and forecasted solar power. We will conduct experiments at the Biosphere 2 in Arizona, where we will use measured and predicted output of 70 kW of solar PV modules present at the site to regulate the operation of two 75 HP (56kW) water pumps. The water pumps transfer water from two wells into a 500,000 gallon reservoir. If the activity the water pumps is suitably regulated based on the power produced by the PV modules, the variability in the power production of the combined system (PV + Pumps) will be reduced compared to that of the PV modules alone. A great deal of theoretical work has been done in this field; the proposed project will provide much needed experimental data. Broader ImpactsFindings from our experiments will inform large power users such as the University of Arizona, the city utility Tucson Water, and the Central Arizona Project (CAP) about cost-effective and safe ways to use more solar power. It will also enable industries to plan bigger solar farms without net-metering. The graduate and undergraduate students will benefit from the participation.