Solar - Program 187. Program Overview

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1 Program Program Overview The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that solar power will represent approximately 1% of worldwide electric generation capacity in less than five years, and trends suggest that double-digit percentages could be achieved well within the next few decades. The large gap between society s current use of solar energy and its underdeveloped potential represents an enormous technical, economic, and political challenge. Despite significant industry growth and technological progress, the need remains for advanced solar technologies that will provide cost-competitive power. Incremental cost reductions are being accomplished by steady improvements in materials, manufacturing processes, and scientific understanding. In addition, solar power remains a field in which breakthrough innovations are possible and even anticipated. New technologies will require performance and reliability testing to inspire confidence from electricity providers and financing entities. An understanding of how technologies perform outside standard test conditions will be critical in the selection of appropriate technology for specific projects. In addition, as ownership of solar assets expands, electric power companies need information on operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements. Power output variability is another major issue, particularly for photovoltaic (PV) technology, and designing plants that maximize power output and minimize variability is a challenge. Concentrating solar power (CSP) is unique among solar technologies in that it can be coupled with thermal energy storage or fossil-fired backup boiler capacity to smooth output and extend operation to cover periods of peak demand. However, CSP technology options are not cost-effective at present. In addition, the inherent large scale of most CSP technologies can make financing early-stage demonstration projects difficult, leading to a lack of field testing experience that investors require for utility-scale projects. The Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI s) Solar Program offers a comprehensive collection of projects that span all types of solar power generation technologies. For example, EPRI is undertaking research to assist electricity providers in understanding key factors that may influence the ability of PV plants to deliver high-value power and be effectively integrated within the larger electricity infrastructure as penetration levels increase. EPRI s research program also supports the development of innovative CSP technologies and configurations that can provide firm, dispatchable power at lower cost. The research portfolio addresses industry and societal needs through: Cost, performance, and status assessments of solar generating technologies O&M guidelines for improved asset management Field testing of promising technologies to reduce performance uncertainty and assess reliability Grid integration analyses and consideration of plant design, siting, and implementation factors that influence system output and variability Feasibility studies and applications analyses to evaluate emerging technology options and assess environmental impacts Collaboration with the broader solar industry through workshops, tours, and other events Participation in this program also includes results of solar engineering and economic evaluations as described under the Renewable Energy Economics and Technology Status Program (Program 84). 1

2 2 Electric Power Research Institute Portfolio 2014 Research Value To facilitate increased deployment of solar technologies, EPRI s plan pursues an improved understanding of technology development, system design, system reliability, and system economics. The key research themes that will significantly improve the information base required for sound decision making include: Tracking solar technology and balance of system component development Conducting feasibility studies and developing preliminary designs for advanced solar technologies Identifying PV project design insights that maximize production and minimize system output variability Developing enterprise-wide O&M strategies for distributed and central station plants Field testing technologies to characterize performance and reliability Monitoring lessons learned from industry demonstration projects Approach The program focuses on evaluating a broad set of solar technologies that have the potential to provide reliable, cost-competitive power options for the electric power industry. Program R&D provides value through: Collaboration with national laboratories and industry to provide greater funding leverage and bring together the leading experts to tackle difficult issues Collaboration with experts across EPRI to address cross-cutting issues and applications Timely and accurate engineering and economic information about existing and emerging solar technologies to support generators decision-making processes Solar Power Fact Book and Renewable Energy Technology Guide that serve as reference sources for accurate and up-to-date information on technology options for generators, policymakers, and regulators Roadmaps that highlight the key industry issues and EPRI s plans to address R&D gaps Industry tours, meetings with experts, and topical webcasts to keep members abreast of the latest developments in the solar industry Accomplishments Together with national laboratories, technology providers, universities, and independent industry experts, EPRI has established a growing set of research products that address the cost, performance, reliability, O&M, and other attributes of solar generation technologies. The Solar Power Fact Book provides factual information about technology performance characteristics, costs, land usage, water consumption, and other features. This document provides concise answers to common questions as well as comparative insights on technology options. EPRI is seen as an industry expert on solar-augmented steam cycle research with comprehensive studies on solar integration options for coal, natural gas, and oil-fired power plants and conceptual analyses for biomass and geothermal power cycles. Recent research focused on U.S. market opportunities for CSP retrofit applications has shown over 25 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity potential. Membership in the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) has expanded EPRI s research capabilities to include reliability and performance testing in a real world environment. Results encompass issues germane to site requirements, installation, commissioning, performance, reliability, and O&M for the multiple technologies under examination. Current Year Activities EPRI will continue to track the development of all major solar technology options and provide insights on technology maturity, market trends, major manufacturers, and the likely scale and timeframe of market growth. In addition, the 2014 Solar Program will look to enhance performance and reliability through field testing, demonstrations, and targeted studies that evaluate: PV variability, PV O&M, central receiver technologies, and thermal energy storage. The 2014 plan also will include general interest activities such as workshops, webcasts, and tours.

3 3 Electric Power Research Institute Portfolio 2014 Estimated 2014 Program Funding 920k Program Manager Travis Coleman, , Summary of Projects Project Number Project Title P Solar Thermal Electric Research R&D will focus on large scale demonstrations of CSP and thermal energy storage technologies and solar thermal hybrid applications that potentially offer reduced costs. P Solar Technology Assessments This project develops comprehensive resources covering the characteristics and potential for both PV and CSP technologies. It also supports field testing to determine the performance and reliability of solar technologies. P Photovoltaic Research Research will address PV power output and variability through informed project design and implementation. PV cost and performance trends, industry events and emerging technology developments will be reported throughout the year. P Operations and Maintenance Research will include a review of utility strategies for O&M management of solar assets and analysis of O&M events and failures to inform optimal approaches. P Solar Thermal Electric Research (069185) Development of more than 15 GW of concentrating solar thermal power capacity is planned worldwide over the coming years. Today most solar applications are not competitive without subsidies, but costs continue to decline and new technology options are emerging that potentially offer lower costs and improved performance. This project will focus on promising technologies that can provide firm, dispatchable power through the use of thermal energy storage or hybridization with other fuel sources. P Solar Technology Assessments (069186) With solar technology options in many different stages of development and deployment, energy companies need benchmarking resources to guide their planning and investment choices. These resources may include reference documents with detailed technology information as well as experimental testing of solar technologies in the lab or field. The Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC), located in Aurora, Colorado, is one venue where EPRI is pursuing solar research, technology testing, and demonstration activities to further understanding of performance, reliability, and O&M requirements for solar technologies. EPRI s membership in SolarTAC is supported under this project area.

4 4 Electric Power Research Institute Portfolio 2014 P Photovoltaic Research (071169) With estimates that global installations hit 30 GW in 2012 and a cumulative global capacity surpassing 100 GW, photovoltaic (PV) technology continues to be the fastest growing source of new power capacity. Utility ownership of PV assets is also on the rise, necessitating long-term performance and reliability data as well as a better understanding of output and variability profiles for different PV technologies and plant configurations. Insights on market trends and PV cost reduction also are a key component of the research portfolio. P Operations and Maintenance (073483) Solar projects are being deployed at an accelerating rate worldwide. Representing a growing absolute share of both independent power producer (IPP) and utility generation portfolios, these assets are now commanding a greater level of attention to ensure their optimal availability and performance. Both PV and solar thermal power plants require scheduled preventive maintenance and unscheduled service calls, continual monitoring, and periodic inspection among other oversight tasks. With this in mind, an increasing number of electric utilities that own solar assets are now implementing nuanced operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies, guided by regulatory and management priorities, that seek to balance costs with increased system output and overarching asset health. This project aims to identify trends in solar asset O&M management as well as best practices. PV Life Cycle Analysis (105111) Supplemental Projects Background, Objectives, and New Learning Lifetimes of photovoltaic (PV) systems are not well understood. While the majority of PV systems deployed today were installed in the last 5-10 years, as these systems age it will become increasingly important to understand how to maintain them and ultimately how to decommission them. The end-of-life diagnosis is predominantly due to age-related degradation and weather exposure, and the key indicator is decreased system performance. PV systems are unique in design, installation and location. As such, each system has unique aging and performance degradation characteristics. For example, a system installed near a body of salt-water may age differently relative to a system installed in an inland location. Life cycle costs also vary widely and depend on a number of factors. During the project planning process, accurately estimating the costs of operating and maintaining PV systems, as well as the cost to decommissioning different types of technologies, can result in significant savings over the life of the project. The project with the lowest upfront cost may end up costing more over its lifetime than projects that are maintained properly and designed for low-cost decommissioning. Understanding the full life cycle costs of PV projects including O&M over the project lifetime and costs to repower or decommission PV systems is a growing need as PV deployment grows and the expanding fleet of PV plants age. Project objectives include: Learn how to minimize PV lifecycle costs through advanced planning Identify solutions for PV plant owners with underperforming assets Develop guidance on how to evaluate PV assets, determine the lowest cost course of action, and repower or decommission a PV facility

5 5 Electric Power Research Institute Portfolio 2014 Project Approach and Summary EPRI proposes a 2-year project to quantify PV project lifetimes, performance degradation, and full lifecycle costs. Site surveys conducted at underperforming PV facilities (residential, commercial, and utility-scale) will be evaluated to diagnose causes of performance degradation and assess options and costs for repowering and decommissioning. Results will be incorporated into an economic model that can be used to quantify lifecycle costs for new plants and compare the costs to repower or decommission aging plants. The final deliverable, a Life Cycle Analysis Manual, will contain a detailed methodology for performing site surveys, describe the processes involved in repowering and decommissioning plants, identify existing state regulations regarding PV decommissioning, and provide recommendations on design choices and O&M strategies that can lower levelized cost of electricity. Project tasks include the following: Develop methodology for performing PV site condition survey Identify processes for repowering and decommissioning PV systems Develop decision support tool to determine lowest cost course of action Survey sites owned by supplemental project funders Recommend O&M practices that will optimize life cycle costs Compile findings into a comprehensive PV Life Cycle Manual Recommend design specifications for new PV systems that offer improved life cycle costs Benefits Through multiple system evaluations and development of a preferred methodology for assessing total life cycle costs, including guidance on end-of-life decision making, project participants will be able to assess the costbenefits of new projects and also be able to determine if there is value in continuing to operate existing PV systems that are underperforming. With the provided tools, stakeholders will be able to determine the optimal business action between maintaining, repowering, or decommissioning existing systems. Best practices established through a review of recyclability and disposability options will help PV system owners make educated decisions that reduce waste and maximize the reuse of viable system components. These actions will maximize the economic value of operating PV systems and provide valuable insights into when and how to decommission PV systems that are no longer cost-effective to maintain.

6 6 Electric Power Research Institute Portfolio 2014 Flat Plate Photovoltaic Collaborative Testing at Solar Technology Acceleration Center (070976) Background, Objectives, and New Learning Traditional crystalline silicon photovoltaics (PV) are and will continue to be costly, but there is insufficient experience with many of the newer, potentially cheaper PV technologies to warrant large-scale, long-term investment. The efficiencies of new flat-plate technologies are being tested extensively in laboratories, as cells and as modules, to enable manufacturing decisions. But only unbiased larger-scale and longer-term trials in the actual operating environment (that is, outdoors) will suffice for commercial acceptance of these new technologies. Banks and utilities are likely to wait for the results of early field tests to gain confidence in the reliability of new PV technology. A recent EPRI study (EPRI ) compared six categories of commercially available PV technologies and estimated their performance in different climates. These technologies, and specific products within these categories, have achieved different levels of maturity. Several new products have the potential to be lower cost with better performance than today s commercially available technologies. The Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) is the largest test facility for solar technologies in the United States. It offers a venue for the collaborative development of solar energy technologies and products (see EPRI s membership in SolarTAC provides a proving ground for both emerging and near-commercial technologies. This collaborative project will reduce performance uncertainty of PV technologies through an independent assessment in a real-world operating environment. The project could help pave the way for future PV projects to be developed at lower cost and with better performance. Project Approach and Summary The project objective is to independently assess the performance and reliability of a variety of PV technologies in a real-world setting. This project will assess the site requirements, installation, commissioning, performance (at least one full year of operation), reliability, and O&M requirements for multiple PV technologies. The demonstration testing will be initiated at SolarTAC in Aurora, Colorado, and additional locations also may host demonstrations to better understand performance in a broader range of climates. Systems will likely be in the 5 10 kw size range. The number of systems to be tested will be determined by available funding. During installation, EPRI will work with on-site developers to understand any installation issues. Standard testing protocols will be developed and monitoring systems implemented to capture key performance metrics. A suite of meteorological measurements will be taken to compare expected performance with actual system outputs. Ramping during cloud transients is of particular interest. O&M activities and expenditures will be reported and best practices for preventive maintenance will be recommended based on experience. Performance data will be analyzed to identify lost generation potential, and the failure modes and countermeasures implemented will be documented and reported. As with any early system, significant learning is expected to take place, and best practices will be communicated to participants throughout the project. Potential means of improving the cost-effectiveness of the systems will be identified by EPRI and technology providers. Benefits This program offering will provide real data on emerging solar technologies that will allow energy companies to make educated solar investment decisions.