Utility Scale Solar Electric Generation Safety. Jeff Court, First Solar

Transcription

1 Utility Scale Solar Electric Generation Safety Jeff Court, First Solar

2 US Electrical Power Generation In 2013, the United States generated about 4,058 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. About 67% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), In 2013, energy sources and percent share of total electricity generation were: o Coal 39% o Natural Gas 27% o Nuclear 19% o Hydropower 7% o Other Renewable 6% Biomass 1.48% Geothermal 0.41% Solar 0.23% Wind 4.13% o Petroleum 1% o Other Gases < 1% Source: US Energy Information Administration (eia)

3 Solar Generation Solar electricity capacity in the US has increased rising from megawatts in 1997 to 6,220.3 megawatts in 2013, it still only accounts for 0.2% of net electricity generated in the United States. Solar energy is the least among the renewable sources of hydroelectric, biomass, wind and solar. Source Institute for Energy Research (IER)

4 First Solar 10 GW Global Installations

5 Partnering with Leading Global Power Buyers Track record of delivering to leading utilities and energy investors

6 First Solar Projects Topaz, US - 550MW MidAmerican Energy Agua Caliente, US- 290MW NRG Energy/MidAmerican Copper Mtn. 1-48MW Sempra Energy Greenough River, Australia Verve Energy/GE Financial Paholdi, India 50MW Kiran Energy Solar Power Dewa Solar, UAE 10MW Dubai Electricity & Water

7 Photovoltaic Fundamentals Photovoltaic modules convert sunlight into DC power. Photons of sunlight excite electrons inside the module which causes electric current to flow. Photo (light) voltaic (Voltage), PV Light hitting the earth or irradiance is a measure of power density of sunlight expressed in W/m2. At solar noon on a typical summer day, irradiance measures 1000 W/m2 at sea level. Light Photons 1 Meter 1 Meter

8 Photovoltaic Fundamentals Photovoltaic cells rely on substances known as semiconductors. Semiconductors are insulators in their pure form, but are able to conduct electricity when heated or combined with other materials. A semiconductor "doped," with certain other elements develops an excess of free electrons. This is known as an N-type semiconductor. A semiconductor doped with other materials, develops an excess of "holes" or spaces that accept electrons. This is known as a P-type semiconductor. Semi-conductors also act to limit current flow to one direction.

9 Photovoltaic Fundamentals

10 Solar Array 1 Row, 1 Harness

11 Simplified Overview of a PV Generating Station The basic PV system consists of the following major components: PV Modules (Arrays) The Power Conversion System (PCS) The PCS Transformer Photovoltaic Combining Switchgear (PVCS) PV ARRAYS FROM OTHER PCS s TO SUBSTATION POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM PCS X-FORMER PHOTOVOLTAIC COMBINING SWITCHGEAR

12 Worker Health and Safety Site Health and Safety Plan Safety First Core Value Safety Policy and Programs Site Work Rules Incident Reporting and Investigation Field Safety Observations/Audits Daily Monthly Quarterly Annually

13 Safety Performance Monitoring Intelex Site Safety Data Collection and Analysis Incident Reporting and Classification Incident Investigation Corrective Action Tracking Audit Scores Observation Scores OSHA Injury Data Fleet Safety Data Collection and Analysis Construction Operations and Maintenance

14 Lone Worker Safety Radio/Satellite based Employee Safety Monitoring Provides services such as: Fall Detection No-Motion (man-down) Silent Emergency (duress) Alert Missed Check-in Alert International Coverage Benefits Incident Notification Improve Emergency Response Time Employee location

15 Heat Illness Prevention Federal OSHA Nationwide Campaign Advisory guidance. General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1) Cal/OSHA Title 8, Section 3395 Written Plan Required Specified Plan Elements

16 Heat Illness Prevention First Solar Heat Illness Prevention Program Training Weather Monitoring NOAA, National Weather Service, Weather Channel Work Planning and Supervision Plan implementation at 85 o F, o Provisions for Water o Access to Shade o Acclimatization o WBGT Monitoring Heat Flag Condition guidelines implemented High Heat measures at 95 o F o Communication o Increased supervision and monitoring Emergency Planning

17 WBGT Monitoring Flag Conditions

18 Electrical Safety DC Electrical Safety: Energy available anytime the rays of the sun strike the PV modules Energy isolation difficult during daylight hours Shock and Arc Flash Hazards (NFPA 70e, NESC, OSHA) Outage every night Equipment and PPE LOTO AC Electrical Safety: Shock and Arc Flash Hazards (NFPA 70e, NESC, OSHA) Equipment and PPE LOTO

19 Questions?