The solar industry has accelerated significantly in the last few years, and merits greater discussion.
A primary influence has been widespread government-sponsored contracts to solar generators who can sell their photovoltaic solar energy at guaranteed rates, often higher than the local price of electricity. The incentives to profit from the sun's energy and provide financial payback for costly equipment have, for the first time, made solar farms a practical investment for generators. Such programs help reduce carbon emission and start the clean-energy ball rolling.
Germany and Japan are now global leaders in solar energy, each having more than one million kilowatts of installed capacity. But these figures are relatively low compared to the annual photovoltaic (PV) potential of other locations. Capetown, for example, has nearly twice the PV potential of Berlin, as shown in the adjacent table. Fortunately, with extensive power generation and transmission experience in high-PV countries, we have strong networks in place to help operators take full advantage of new solar development opportunities.
The World Energy Council projects that the demand for solar energy will only increase as countries aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on non-renewable resources. Some national and regional governments have set targets for solar at 10–20% of total power produced.
Technologies
The most common solar technology uses photovoltaics, with a farm requiring up to 100 acres of land – principally for solar panel arrays, but also for inverters, transformers and control and maintenance facilities. A typical farm of 10 MW can satisfy the energy needs of more than 3,000 homes.
Countries with high annual solar irradiance levels, particularly those near deserts or the equator, can benefit from an alternative technology with greater potential economic returns than are possible with photovoltaic solar farms. This alternative technology uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate sunlight, heat water and produce steam to drive a steam-turbine generator.
Infrastructure challenges
Perhaps the greatest and most unexpected challenge with solar power is its connection to the utility distribution system.
Since a 10-MW farm is it too small to justify the high cost of a transmission-system connection, they must be universally connected to local distribution systems. However, 10 MW is also a very large amount of generation to connect to a typical distribution system feeder.
Utility distribution systems were designed for one-way power flow, outward from utility substations, and are only marginally capable of dealing with large power injections. In most cases, the utility system has to be upgraded to receive the current contribution from solar power.
This is an area where Hatch Energy’s expertise will continue to be of great advantage. Of particular significance is our extensive experience producing System Impact Assessments that study the effect of new generation on existing power systems; and Connection Assessments that determine infrastructure requirements for utility connections. We also have a long history of helping developers obtain regulatory approval by providing submission services and representation in discussions with regulatory authorities.
The solar industry is growing quickly and Hatch Energy is well positioned to make major contributions worldwide – helping customers reach their targets and making sustainable energy more generally available.
For further information, please contact:
A. Zak Erzinclioglu
Managing Director, Renewable Power
Hatch Energy, Niagara Falls, Ontario
+1 905 357 6999
ZErzinclioglu@hatchenergy.com
Doug Urban
Director, Transmission and Distribution
Hatch Energy, Oakville, Ontario
+1 905-496-3400 Ext 3172
DUrban@hatchenergy.com
Going solar