Making a Stronger Business Case for Solar Brian Haug, P.E.
The Challenge for Illinois Corporations Companies want to be more sustainable Yet they also want sustainability to make financial sense Solar is desirable but uneconomic in Illinois i Lack of incentives like in other states Grid kilowatt pricing is low What if there were a way to make solar economic?
Cheap power + Cheap SREC = Poor PV Market State Utility Power cost Solar credits Pure solar payback Avg. Cents/kWh SREC/MWh under 8 years California 22 30 $0 New Jersey 13 $130 Massachusetts 14 $240 Hawaii 33 $0 Illinois 8 $13 Ohio 9 $41 Pennsylvania 10 $43 Texas 9 $0
Multi Service i Intelligent t Battery Btt Storage William Pentland, Forbes Magazine
Cost Effective Solar Needs a Systems Approach Tax benefits have long been solar s s only ally but may not work effectively with storage Demand charge reductions alone are not cost effective Reducing capacity demand charges requires storage for maximum effect but is not cost effective alone Fast Response Frequency Regulation requires storage and can create a revenue stream but alone is not always cost effective The combination in the correct proportion can unlock savings, generate revenues while reducing your energy spend without compromising performance
Smart solar generates >twice the py payback than conventional solar Item Monetization Solar + Storage Conventional Solar Energy Bill reduction Capacity power Bill reduction Demand power Bill reduction Fast Response Frequency Regulation for the grid operator TOTAL BENEFITS Payments monthly with PJM Virtual Power Plant aggregation 2 to 3 X 1 X
Conventional Solar PV Facility s power usage Utility
Smart Solar = Solar PV + Storage + Network Facility s power usage Solar inverter solar charge discharge Energy Storage System Utility Battery remote control
Smart solar generates >twice the py payback than conventional solar Item Monetization Solar + Storage Conventional Solar Energy Bill reduction Capacity power Bill reduction Demand power Bill reduction Fast Response Frequency Regulation for the grid operator TOTAL BENEFITS Payments monthly with PJM Virtual Power Plant aggregation 2 to 3 X 1 X
Load Profile Peak demands can be curtailed at pre determined setpoints Overall demand can be mitigated in summer months March 641 kw demand August 840 kw demand 800 900 700 800 600 700 500 600 500 400 400 300 300 200 200 100 100 0 1 11 21 31 41 0 1 11 21 31 41 Every graph is one month, every line is one day. Every day is cut into 48 half hours.
Demand Power Consumption = the number that registers on your car s odometer to tell you how far you ve driven Demand is what is captured on your speedometer at the moment when you hit your max speed Consumption is your overall electricity use, and demand is your peak intensity, or maximum speed.
Demand Power Demand charges are on highest capacity you required during the given billing period, typically a 15 minute interval during that billing cycle.
Smart Solar = Solar PV + Storage + Network Facility s power usage Solar inverter solar charge discharge Energy Storage System Utility Battery remote control
Smart solar generates >twice the py payback than conventional solar Item Monetization Solar + Storage Conventional Solar Energy Bill reduction Capacity power Bill reduction Demand power Bill reduction Fast Response Frequency Regulation for the grid operator TOTAL BENEFITS Payments monthly with PJM Virtual Power Plant aggregation 2 to 3 X 1 X
Peak Load Contribution (PLC) Capacity Charges PJM retroactively identifies top 5 capacity hours of the previous year Customer s s capacity identified on those peak times Basis for next 12 months PLC Usually occur during July September Usually occur during the hours of 3pm to 5pm
Peak Load Contribution (PLC) Predict when top 5 capacity hours will occur Use stored energy in battery to reduce your demand during that period Top 20 hours are targeted to ensure top 5 are encompassed. Accounts for about 40 hours of battery usage
Smart solar generates >twice the py payback than conventional solar Item Monetization Solar + Storage Conventional Solar Energy Bill reduction Capacity power Bill reduction Demand power Bill reduction Fast Response Frequency Regulation for the grid operator TOTAL BENEFITS Payments monthly with PJM Virtual Power Plant aggregation 2 to 3 X 1 X
Frequency Regulation h hlflif f i h h The shelf life of a watt is short very, very short. Electricity travels about 186,000 miles per second. As a result, it must be used more or less at the same time it is generated unless it can be stored. The challenges of matching supply and demand in real time have become significantly more complex with the increased deployment of intermittent or variable resources like wind power or solar photovoltaics on the electric grid.
Frequency Regulation with PJM Blue: PJM grid operator service area
Frequency Regulation Explained PJM pays to have an instant resource (like a battery) available for Frequency Regulation
Grid balancing (frequency regulation) 1) Grid always needs fast response injection and absorption of power 2) Software allocates requests to its virtual power plant every two seconds 3) PJM pays for the aggregate response, seen as a single plant
The Numbers PV installed cost Array Size Annual Production (kwh) Battery Size (kwh) Payback (years) Project IRR Project Cost (before 30% ITC) PV only $160,000 53 kw 62,328 N/A 8 14.60% $160,000 PV plus battery $160,000 53 kw 62,328 114 4 28.50% $440,000
Results: ITC, Durability, Multiple Benefits 100 kw/kwh LiOn ESS ~$200,000 1. Capturing the tax benefits $280k cost becomes $196k after tax benefits but respecting IRS guidelines requires battery management of its own 3. Stack the benefits A valuable hierarchy but a complex alchemy 2. Shallow cycles Means long battery life Wear on usable bat ttery life cycle es Frequency Regulation Capacity Charge Reduction Demand Reduction 12.00% 10.00% 8.00% $4,000 6.00% 4.00% 2.00% $15,000 $51,000 total annual benefits $32,000 >1 million cycles @ 2.5% discharge 0.00% 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 Hours of usage per year
Software Value Proposition Utilize battery btt to maximize i solar payback kby determining the best use for its stored energy on a continuous basis Peak Load Reduction Demand Reduction Frequency Regulation
Added Benefits Batterycan provide backupfor power outages allowing for proper shutdown of critical systems After payback period d(6 (<6 years), there is a steady revenue stream from Frequency Regulation PLUS owner continues to benefit fitfrom the PV energy for over 25 years No permanent changes to building or operations Batteries are designed for safety with +10 yr life Clean solar energy is good for the community and environment
Thank You! Brian Haug Continental Electrical Construction Company bhaug@cecco.com 630/288 0200