SOLAR TODAY - May 2012

Distributed renewable energy generation is creating an exciting shift in the utility business.

By PHIl SMITHerS

SOLar TODAY®
MAY 2012
VOL. 26, NO. 3

that there is value in producing DE on the APS grid if we are able to achieve high penetration over a long term, implement smart-grid technologies and develop energy storage opportunities within the system.

The Community Power Project helps APS
exceed its RES requirements by removing bar-
riers for customers and by meeting growing
customer demand for DE, especially for solar
panels. Additionally, the project will serve
as a laboratory platform for a series of inte-
grated studies to provide data from real-world
usage, helping us to understand the impacts
kilowatts (k W) will be generated on the roof-
tops of APS customers with 600 k W coming
from residential customers and 400 k W com-
ing from a combination of roof and ground-
mount systems at Cromer Elementary School.
APS also has just completed the Doney Park
Renewable Energy Site, which will generate
500 to 700 k W of power from a utility-scale PV
array and is designed for up to 8 k W of wind.
When the Community Power Project is fully
operational this spring, the Sandvig 4 feeder
line will receive more than 30 percent of its
power from renewable sources.

Phil Smithers is technical services leader in the renewable energy unit of APS, Arizona’s largest electric utility company. He serves on the American Solar Energy Society board of directors, representing the ASES Clean Energy Division. His background is in civil, structural and mechanical design, project management and transmission siting.

and potential value of DE on the grid. These studies will examine the effects of a high concentration of solar on the electric grid; energy storage opportunities; photovoltaic (PV) variability and intermittency; and costs associated with the high penetration of solar power. It is the first fully integrated look at the impact that a high concentration of DE will have on the reliability, operations and maintenance of utility energy production.

The project is a melding of consumer, utility and energy industry interests. It will deliver a total of 1.5 megawatts (MW) of power in a single electric distribution feeder — 1,000

the right community
for Success

The location and distribution feeder line was chosen for a variety of reasons. The primary requirement was finding a distribution feeder in a community that had the potential to reach a high penetration of solar. The Flagstaff customer base has expressed significant interest in using new renewable energy models for powering their community.

APS engineers identified Flagstaff neighborhoods that presented a diverse residential and commercial customer base. The team felt this was important so that studies were not limited by types of usage. Sandvig 4 became the leading option because of the potential it demonstrated for residential implementation. While it is short on commercial interests, APS was confident Cromer Elementary School could represent commercial usage.

Smart-grid capability is essential to the project’s data collection and our smart-grid initiative was well underway in the Flagstaff community. The Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) collects data on both

APS owns, operates
and receives the energy
from the solar panels,

The Doney Park renewable energy Site will generate 500 to 700 kilowatts of power from a utility-scale photovoltaic array, and is designed for up to 8 k W of wind.