Oversized solar farm keeps lights on until midnight
From pv magazine USA
The nation’s largest approved solar and storage project has a secret. Beneath its record-break headline-size announcement is a “hidden” second power plant. And it’s driven by two of the most important clean energy trends: low-cost solar panels and advancing battery technology.
This hidden power plant comprises 2.4 GW of solar modules and 7.2 GW of energy storage, all feeding into a 1.2 GW grid interconnection. In practice, this means the Sunstone Solar Project will generate significantly more electricity than a typical solar plant, store the excess in batteries, and supply it to the grid well into the evening.
pv magazine USA reached out to Pine Gate to ask how they plan to structure electricity sales and for their perspective on the project’s unique sizing but received no comment.
According to the US Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, the average ratio of solar modules (DC capacity) to inverter sizing and grid connection (AC capacity) has been about 1.25:1 over the past few years. For this project, also known as the “DC-to-AC Ratio” or “Inverter-Load Ratio,” the figure is 2:1.
Historically, solar developers have kept the DC-to-AC ratio near 1.25:1 to avoid “clipping,” where electricity production on sunny days exceeds inverter capacity and is effectively wasted. Battery manufacturer Fluence created the animation above to illustrate how pairing batteries with a high DC-to-AC ratio solar plant can capture this otherwise clipped electricity for use in the evening.
One of the unique benefits of adding extra solar modules is that they cost less on a per-unit basis than in a standard plant. Since the inverters, interconnection and various overheads are already accounted for, the additional costs are mainly for racking, modules, conduit, copper and support gear. According to Fluence, these extra panels are estimated to cost about 40% less than a conventional installation.
To explore the Sunstone power plant’s output, pv magazine USA used the Solesca solar design tool to estimate how long it would take 2.4 GW of solar electricity to pass through a 1.2 GW interconnection. We modeled a 1.01 MW single-axis tracking solar plant located at Sunstone’s Oregon site, which would deliver about 1,743 MWh of electricity to the grid annually.
To continue reading, please visit our pv magazine USA website.
Customized/OEM/ODM Service
HomSolar Supports Lifepo4 battery pack customization/OEM/ODM service, welcome to contact us and tell us your needs.
HomSolar: Your One-stop LiFePO4 Battery Pack & ESS Solution Manufacturer
Our line of LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries offer a solution to demanding applications that require a lighter weight, longer life, and higher capacity battery. Features include advanced battery management systems (BMS), Bluetooth® communication and active intelligent monitoring.
Customised Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Casing
ABS plastic housing, aluminium housing, stainless steel housing and iron housing are available, and can also be designed and customised according to your needs.
HomSolar Smart BMS
Intelligent Battery Management System for HomSolar Energy Storage System. Bluetooth, temperature sensor, LCD display, CAN interface, UART interface also available.
Terminals & Plugs Can Be Customized
A wide range of terminals and plugs can be customised to suit the application needs of your battery products.
Well-designed Solutions for Energy Storage Systems
We will design the perfect energy storage system solution according to your needs, so that you can easily solve the specific industry applications of battery products.
About Our Battery Cells
Our energy storage system products use brand new grade A LiFePO4 cells with a battery lifespan of more than 4,000 charge/discharge cycles.
Applications in Different Industries
We supply customized & OEM battery pack, assemble cells with wiring, fuse and plastic cover, all the cell wires connected to PCB plug or built BMS.
Applications: E-bike, Electric Scooter, Golf Carts, RV, Electric Wheelchair, Electric Tools, Robot Cleaner, Robot Sweeper, Solar Energy Storage System, Emergency Light, Solar Power Light, Medical Equipment, UPS Backup Power Supply.
We can provide you with customized services. We have the ability to provide a vertical supply chain, from single cells to pack/module and to a complete power solution with BMS, etc.
HomSolar (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd
