Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
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Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
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Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#2I love solar, but this "those who can afford microgrids can shield themselves from blackouts" paired with net metering where "the wealthy get paid a premium for excess generation and can buy expensive high-demand power back at a discount" probably aren't steps on the path to improved grid resiliency for any definition other than this weird "no island-wide outages" definition.
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#3I love solar, but this "those who can afford microgrids can shield themselves from blackouts" paired with net metering where "the wealthy get paid a premium for excess generation and can buy expensive high-demand power back at a discount" probably aren't steps on the path to improved grid resiliency for any definition other than this weird "no island-wide outages" definition.
The alternative way to look at it is that early adopters get the volume up such that the price comes down to where more people can afford it?
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#4I love solar, but this "those who can afford microgrids can shield themselves from blackouts" paired with net metering where "the wealthy get paid a premium for excess generation and can buy expensive high-demand power back at a discount" probably aren't steps on the path to improved grid resiliency for any definition other than this weird "no island-wide outages" definition.
Agreed. From first hand experience, even for regulated electricity markets, games get played to maximize profit per power generated that are directly making stability worse. Fixing these loop holes is hard for the regulator since they are instructed to encourage both increased renewable penetration and stability, despite traders/operators/producers not acting in good faith and just gaming whatever they can.
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#5I love solar, but this "those who can afford microgrids can shield themselves from blackouts" paired with net metering where "the wealthy get paid a premium for excess generation and can buy expensive high-demand power back at a discount" probably aren't steps on the path to improved grid resiliency for any definition other than this weird "no island-wide outages" definition.
The alternative way to look at it is that early adopters get the volume up such that the price comes down to where more people can afford it?
This doesn't solve the issue of either storage or continous (and controllable) supply.
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#6From what I understand, most homes that are connected to both solar and the grid require the grid to be active to produce solar. This is for two reasons. One, not to endanger lineman working on the grid. And two, the solar AC cycle must be synchronized with the grid AC cycle.
Are these homes not also connected to the grid? Or is there some technology that addresses these two issues that are in use in Puerto Rico?
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#7From what I understand, most homes that are connected to both solar and the grid require the grid to be active to produce solar. This is for two reasons. One, not to endanger lineman working on the grid. And two, the solar AC cycle must be synchronized with the grid AC cycle. Are these homes not also connected to the grid? Or is there some technology that addresses these two issues that are in use in Puerto Rico?
If you use a string inverter not a emphase style microinverter, most of them are capable of running without the grid- Particularly if you add any sort of battery system.
These use a form of transfer switch like you’d use when you connect a generator- they disconnect the upstream.
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#8I love solar, but this "those who can afford microgrids can shield themselves from blackouts" paired with net metering where "the wealthy get paid a premium for excess generation and can buy expensive high-demand power back at a discount" probably aren't steps on the path to improved grid resiliency for any definition other than this weird "no island-wide outages" definition.
The alternative way to look at it is that early adopters get the volume up such that the price comes down to where more people can afford it?
Solar output is also proportionate to area of sunlight projection. This means the theoretical capacity available to you is proportionate to real estate, area of planetary surface, under your ownership.
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#9From what I understand, most homes that are connected to both solar and the grid require the grid to be active to produce solar. This is for two reasons. One, not to endanger lineman working on the grid. And two, the solar AC cycle must be synchronized with the grid AC cycle. Are these homes not also connected to the grid? Or is there some technology that addresses these two issues that are in use in Puerto Rico?
This is true, but if you add in local batteries attached to the solar, you can have a device that works in basically all situations. If disconnected from the grid, it can run off battery instead of just not working.
I haven't read the OP link yet, but my guess is they are doing something like this: Grid, Solar and batteries.
Re: Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout
#10From what I understand, most homes that are connected to both solar and the grid require the grid to be active to produce solar. This is for two reasons. One, not to endanger lineman working on the grid. And two, the solar AC cycle must be synchronized with the grid AC cycle. Are these homes not also connected to the grid? Or is there some technology that addresses these two issues that are in use in Puerto Rico?
It's just a coordination problem.
You are also sort of conflating "loss of interconnect" with "outage'.