Solar energy expert shares blueprint for a carbon-free future in PV-tech power

Sciences Research Center (ASRC), has

a

published a new paper in PV-Tech Power that describes his cost-effective solution to bridge the gap between production of renewables—such as solar and wind—and customer demand. It combines the use of oversized renewable assets and energy curtailment.

According to Perez, energy storage technologies have long been considered a critical component of achieving high use of renewables. For example, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels can collect energy from the sun during the daytime and use electrochemical battery storage to meet demands after sunset and during winter or other seasonal variations. However, large and longer-timescale solar supply gaps are more complicated and expensive to maintain.

Instead, Perez and his co-authors, suggest a "counterintuitive strategy." By building oversized renewable assets, more energy is produced, limiting seasonal imbalances and the need for a large amount of storage. The oversizing strategy is combined with a practice called curtailment, which reduces output to below capacity during peak times, saving money and resources.

https://phys.org/news/2019-05-solar-energy-expert-blueprint-carbon-free.html