Webinar: "Investigating the Economic Value of Flexible Solar Power Plant Operation"

The webinar will present a report on the simulation of the operations of an actual utility system – Tampa Electric Company (TECO) – and its generation portfolio to investigate the economic value of using solar as an active participant in balancing requirements.  A simulation of utility-scale solar deployment levels up to 28 percent annual solar energy penetration was performed on TECO’s system, which serves roughly 725,000 customers in West Central Florida.  Looking specifically at the operating cost savings of adding solar generation to the electricity system under four different operating modes, it was found that operating solar flexibly provides significant additional value compared to other operating modes. The increased value – which comes from reduced fuel and maintenance costs for conventional generators, reduced curtailment of solar output, and reduced air emissions – grows as the level of solar penetration increases. Importantly, operating solar this way does not require new technology but rather a shift in thinking – not only about how resources can and should be used, but also in underlying business practices.

The webinar will be presented by Dr. Mahesh Morjaria from First Solar and Arne Olson and Jimmy Nelson from E3. It will be followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with the audience.

Click here for more information and to register.