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ABB Announces New Plug And Play Microgrid Systems

by Steve Hanley October 14, 2016

On October 10, ABB, a pioneer and world leader in microgrid technology, announced a new range of microgrid solutions to enhance and promote distributed power generation. These modular and scalable “plug and play” products are designed expressly to address the needs of remote areas that are not tied to the electrical grid but are also appropriate for use in both developed and developing countries.

ABB distributed microgrid systems

The containerized systems can be delivered quickly and efficiently to any location where a microgrid is needed. Each includes a battery for energy storage, power inverter, and ABB’s dedicated Microgrid Plus control system. The entire package can be managed wireless via a cloud based control system.

For communities and industry, the ABB scalable system can provide uninterrupted power during planned or unplanned electrical outages. System sizes from 50 kW to 4,600 kW are avaiable. All can work with solar or wind power, a traditional electrical grid, or locally produced electricity from a diesel generator. The standard integrated functions include grid-connected and off-grid operation with seamless transition. It is a containerized solution designed for easy transportation and fast installation onsite. Operations and maintenance are enabled via a cloud-based remote service system.

“Our modular, standardized and scalable microgrid solution will provide cost efficient access to reliable power for rural and urban applications, as a plug-and-play solution“, said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Grids division. “It exemplifies ABB’s continued commitment to innovation and reducing environmental impact by enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources and reducingdependence on fossil-fuels, all key elements of ABB’s Next Level strategy.”

The electrical power industry is changing. Distributed renewables are challenging the status quo that has brought us the traditional centralized power grid. Some utility companies are pushing back hard against the idea of distributed power which, among other things, opens the door to private actors making their own electricity and selling it to others without involving utility companies at all.

That’s the idea behind an experimental cooperative in Brooklyn. It’s only a small system involving just a few people, but it strikes terror into the hearts of utility company executives. If people can make electricity and distribute it themselves, who needs utility companies?

The future of distributed renewables is fraught with danger and conflict, but ABB will be ready with the products needed to make it a reality whenever the need arises.

October 14, 2016 0 comment

Solar Leaders In Universities, In The Air, & In The Solar Industry

by Zach June 17, 2016

written by Zach

A society-wide transition to clean energy requires action on many levels. Private consumers, commercial-level consumers, institutions, and government need to aid the transition. Additionally, of course, the production side of the industry has to continually advance the technologies and improve their competitiveness.

An exciting story out of California combined with a worldwide journey above the clouds help to tie these different sectors together and inspire faster change. As we’ve stated before, the key aim of the Solar Impulse 2 crew isn’t just to set aviation and technology records. Rather, the key aim is to show the world that these technologies are ready, and to thus inspire more people to switch to cleantech for their energy and transportation needs.

One recent story on the ground in California, using tech from two core Solar Impulse 2 partners, further demonstrates that this tech is ready now. Additionally, it sets an example for what universities and other institutions around the world can do immediately to cut a significant portion of their pollution and carbon emissions. I encourage you to check out the video above (if you haven’t yet) for a lot more details and perspective, but below are some of the highlights.

A 16.3-megawatt SunPower solar farm using SunPower* solar panels and ABB* inverters is now providing electricity for UC Davis (the University of California, Davis). UC Davis noted when the project started that the solar farm would be “the largest solar power installation in the University of California system, and the largest solar power plant to offset the electricity demand of a U.S. university or college campus.” Let’s hope the records don’t last for long.

The solar farm is estimated to be generating 14% of UC Davis’ electricity needs and reducing the university’s carbon footprint by an impressive 9%. Overall, UC Davis aims to have 60% of its electricity needs provided by renewables by 2017. That even surpasses California’s goal of 50% renewable electricity by 2020.

With solar prices hitting record lows that are lower than the price of electricity from natural gas, coal, nuclear, or even wind, why wouldn’t an ethical and penny-wise university transition to clean power that ensures a better future for the youth it is educating? Providing a good example is, after all, a solid component of a good education system.

Aside from the ethical imperative to transition away from fossil fuels, UC Davis notes, “solar power is finally becoming cheap enough to make sense for large-scale energy users like UC Davis.”

One of the nice things about this project from a CleanTechnica perspective is that the technologies being used come from companies that serve the industrial sector, the commercial sector, and the residential sector. SunPower and ABB offer a wide range of solar products that serve the varying needs of these customers. Can you see why Solar Impulse 2 chose them to help power their pioneering flight around the world?

*Full Disclosure: ABB kindly sponsored this article, and I own stock in SunPower and ABB (for what I think are obvious reasons).

June 17, 2016 0 comment

Microgrids Can Integrate 50% Renewables Without Storage

by James Ayre September 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

Microgrids with up to 50% intermittent generation (solar photovoltaics, wind energy, etc) don’t need energy storage systems, so long as automation systems are utilized to help with grid stability, according to new research from ABB.

The new work suggests that the old “upper limit” of 40% intermittent generation to a microgrid without energy storage systems was perhaps too cautious. The findings are the result of an analyses of various microgrid scenarios, including: low-penetration scenarios where renewable energy accounted for up to 30% of peak load; medium-penetration scenarios where it accounted for up to 50%; and high-penetration scenarios where it accounted for 100%.

“When you look at a low-penetration system, if you design and maintain it properly, you don’t need much more capex upfront,” stated ABB’s microgrid global sales manager, Pablo Astorga, while speaking earlier this month at the Microgrid Global Innovation Forum in Barcelona.

After this level is surpassed, though, automation systems become a necessity — especially in order to deal with renewables penetration of up to 50% of peak load — according to Astorga.

“As you move close to 100% (of peak load), say 75%, 80%, or 90%, you definitely need some kind of storage device, because the automation (system) can only absorb so much.”

Greentech Media provides more:

Even at this level of penetration, it is likely that a portion of the total load will be covered by diesel. A 100% coverage of peak load in megawatt terms equates to roughly a 70% contribution from wind in terms of megawatt-hours, or 50% from solar.

The exact point at which storage might be required will vary based upon the load profile. But “if the project is properly designed and optimized in the right way, up to 50%, you could run with just an automation system,” said Astorga. “I wouldn’t say it’s always going to be the case, but I have seen it.”

He also noted that the findings for microgrids were not applicable to considerations of renewable energy penetration levels in traditional power grids. “I do not think we can generalize for the larger grids, but I do think a higher penetration level [than now] could be accepted without chaos,” he said. “PJM could go up to 30% penetration and it would be fine.”

Choosing the right renewable energy integration strategy for microgrids is important, ABB says, because poorly integrated intermittent energy sources can result in an increased number of genset stops and starts and frequency or voltage variation.

The sweet spot with regard to levelized cost of energy is, according to Astorga, around 60% to 80% coverage from renewable sources.

Astorga noted that the falling costs of renewables and the volatility of fossil fuel prices is pushing ABB and others to integrate more and more renewable energy into microgrids.

September 30, 2015 0 comment

ABB Commands 50% Share In India’s Solar Power Inverters Market

by Saurabh Mahapatra September 14, 2015

written by Saurabh Mahapatra

ABB has massively increased its share in the Indian solar power inverters market over the last few months, giving it an excellent platform to further expand its footprint and take advantage of the huge 96 GW potential market by 2022.

According to reports, ABB has supplied inverters for 2 GW worth of solar power capacity of the total 4 GW of capacity operational in India.

The company supplied inverters for 1 GW of capacity in the last 5 months alone. This demand is likely to have been driven by projects allocated under the various state solar power policies.

ABB has a manufacturing facility in Bengaluru in southern India, from where it supplies the PVS800 model of inverters. The company has a production capacity of 3 GW every year from this facility.

The PVS800 has now become a trusted model among solar power project developers in India. Being a global brand, ABB attracts orders from Indian as well as international developers.

The company has supplied inverters to some of the leading solar power projects in the country, including Welspun Energy — which operates India’s largest solar project installed by a single developer. It also supplied inverters to the largest canal-top solar power project in the world, located in Gujarat.

In addition to inverters for solar power projects, ABB also manufactures and supplies solar-powered water pumps that have application in the agricultural sector. The company has supplied around 5,000 solar-powered pumps so far.

The company management expects even higher growth in the solar power inverters business as the government pushes forwards the ambitious National Solar Mission that targets 100 GW solar power capacity installed by 2022.

September 14, 2015 0 comment

Energy Storage PV Solar Records

Solar Impulse 2 Pilots Do In-Flight Yoga #RTW

by Aisha Abdelhamid April 6, 2015

written by Aisha Abdelhamid

(Originally published on Planetsave.com)
While flying around the world in a solar plane, Solar Impulse 2 Pilot Andre Borschberg relates, “Though the cockpit is not big enough, I still do yoga and meditation to keep fit, aware and awake.” Then, taking off once again in the Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), Andre Borschberg piloted the innovative solar plane on the next stage of its historic Round the World (#RTW) fuel-free journey. Departing Ahmedabad, India, on Wednesday, March 18, the relatively short flight to India took 13 hours.

Although the stopover in Varanasi was very short, this famous Hindu city holds special importance in the lives of the yoga-practicioning pilots, Solar Impulse CEO Andre Borschberg, and Solar Impulse President Bertrand Piccard.

Solar Impulse 2 Pilot Andre Borschberg doing yoga in front of Si2 solar plane. © Solar Impulse

“The World’s Oldest Living City”

Noting the Solar Impulse 2 team’s special connection with Varanasi, Andre Borschberg explained, “the world’s oldest living city was one of the first chosen for stopovers during the aircraft’s journey. By choosing the Indian cities of Ahmedabad and Varanasi for pit stops, the Si2 team wanted to mix modernity with spirituality.”

“I came to Varanasi two decades ago,” added Borschberg. “For me, revisiting Varanasi is like a spiritual journey, and we wanted to make it part of the human adventure that we have undertaken.”

“Yoga and Meditation Gives Us Balance”

Speaking to The Hindu shortly after arrival, Mr. Borschberg related, “I was introduced to yoga and meditation 20 years ago when I visited Rishikesh [in Uttarakhand] with my wife … Yoga and meditation is what helps me going when I am alone in the cockpit flying non-stop for days and hours.”

“Yoga and meditation gives us balance and keeps us in the right state of mind, which is very crucial when you are on such a difficult mission,” says Solar Impulse 2 Pilot Borschberg. Continuing, he explained, “While flying alone, we have to stay awake for days and hours … The challenge is to maintain the right mental attitude and keep thinking right and be ourselves, and yoga helps me in that. Though the cockpit is not big enough, I still do yoga and meditation to keep fit, aware and awake.”

Both Andre Borschberg and co-pilot Bertrand Piccard rely on the spiritual practices of yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises, or pranayam to support their physically challenging endeavor to circumnavigate the earth in the tight confines of a single-seater solar airplane. According to Huffington Post, the two have been practising yoga under the guidance of Indian yoga guru Sanjeev Bhanot for the past 12 years.

Twenty Minutes of Sleep Every 5 Hours

Borschberg, now 62, said, “We sleep for 20 minutes at every five hours during the flight. We also need to regain energy. For that, I started learning yoga 12 years back and have been practising it daily for the last 10 years. We also use yoga to stimulate our body and re-energise ourselves with the help of Yogi Sanjeev Bhanot.”

Continuing, the Solar Impulse 2 pilot pointed out, “The 20 minutes of sleep is necessary. During that nap, we leave the plane fly by itself by putting it on auto-pilot mode. Yoga helps in a different way, I practice yoga almost daily. It helps you think with a right mind, it helps in balance and breathing techniques and helps to re-energise.”

Solar Impulse President and Co-Founder Bertrand Piccard added, “I self-hypnotise to connect with inner-self. That is because hypnosis is a way to connect with the inner side of yourself.” Piccard, now 57, is also a psychiatrist. He continued, “When you live normally, you look, you feel, you get distressed, but when you start looking inside yourself, you will disconnect from the uncomfortable situation of (outer world) and you can use your inner resources and inner energy.”

Solar Impulse 2 Continuing on to Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)

After a fond farewell for Varanasi, India, Bertrand Piccard took his turn in the pilot seat of the Solar Impulse 2. Taking off on March 19, Piccard completed the 1,400-kilometer flight to Mandalay, Myanmar in 13 hours and 29 minutes, flying only on energy generated from the sun.

The Solar Impulse 2 crew, with its team of ABB engineers, was ready for the Si2 with their inflatable hangar set up. Co-pilot Borschberg was standing by, and all were greeted with a very warm welcome as Pilot Bertrand Piccard opened the cockpit door in Mandaly.

Solar Impulse 2 Delivers ABB’s “Access to Electricity” Program

On the following day, Piccard and Borschberg presented ABB solar battery charging units to remote village residents. ABB has been bringing electrical power and educational and economic opportunities to developing countries for over 15 years in its “Access to Electricity” program. Now, working with local NGO partner Pact Myanmar, ABB is helping to ensure that over 3,000 people can now access stable, renewable energy in 10 of Myanmar’s remote villages.

Solar Impulse 2 President and Pilot Bertrand Piccard said, “I am very touched and excited about this project.” He continued, “It demonstrates that ABB and Pact make our [#FutureIsClean] vision a reality.”

The Solar Impulse 2 will continue on to China next. Stay tuned for another update soon!

Watch the YouTube Video of Si2 taking off from Varanasi, India:

Watch the YouTube Video of Si2 landing in Mandaly, Myanmar:

April 6, 2015 0 comment

125-MW Solar Project Planned For Arizona

Solar Projects

125 MW Solar PV Project Planned For Arizona’s Arlington Valley

by Tim March 30, 2013

written by Tim

An innovative 125 MW solar PV project is planned for Arizona’s Arlington Valley, located in Maricopa County. The Arlington Valley Solar Energy II Project (AVSE II) will be developed by the LS Power Group, which is a power generation, transmission, and investment group working to bring forward energy solutions to power America.

The project will have five Array Blocks using crystalline silicon cell PV panels that will operate on a single axis with a sun tracking system. A SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system that will keep watch of various plant systems, including trackers, solar inverters, substations, the well water supply and treatment system, and the interface with the plant meteorological station. The monitoring information data will be sent to a remote site and to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).

March 30, 2013 0 comment