The SMRT site will be attached to a 1.6 megawatt (MW) solar plant recently built by SOLON, owned by TEP, and located at the University of Arizona’s Science and Technology Park. The project is an open design allowing for many different technologies to be added or replaced as advancements continue in the coming years. SOLON will design and install the control system and oversee the project.
In August 2011, SOLON, in partnership with AzRISE, will introduce the first phase of the project with a Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) technology designed and constructed by faculty and students at the University of Arizona. CAES can be an ideal solution for storing large amounts of energy, giving utilities the option of shifting solar energy output by hours, days, or even seasonally. This means utility owners will have the option of using the energy produced by their solar plants when they need it most.
To better address shorter-term variability caused by events such as cloud coverage, a faster response is required of the storage medium. In keeping with this, the second phase of the project, due to be installed in the fall, will be a lithium-ion solution, followed by the third and fourth phases in the spring of 2012. All of these storage systems will be managed with SOLON’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
The output of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind can vary throughout the day. Today, grid operators can already handle a certain amount of variability on their systems; however, as utility-scale solar projects continue to increase in size, the impact of their inherent variability on the grid does as well. Operators will need new and better tools such as energy storage at their disposal to facilitate voltage support, transmission congestion relief, equipment replacement deferral, and energy arbitrage.
“By continuously innovating, SOLON is committed to excelling as a photovoltaic system solution provider for utilities,” said Dan Alcombright, President and CEO of SOLON Corporation. “Storage for renewable energy is essential for utilities as they increase clean energy generation into their grids. By testing different types of storage methods and technologies under various environmental conditions, our garnered intelligence will enable us to provide utilities with highly accurate guidance on the right storage solution for them, as well as provide completely integrated PV systems with storage.”
“As we increase our reliance on intermittent solar and wind resources, grid-tied storage systems are going to become a necessary piece of maintaining reliable service for customers,” said David Hutchens, Executive Vice President of TEP and its parent company, UniSource Energy Corporation (NYSE: UNS). “This project will give us an opportunity to work with trusted partners to evaluate the performance of various storage technologies.”
“Arizona is leading the way as a hub for solar energy innovation and energy storage technologies form a key component,” said Joe Simmons, AzRISE Director at the University of Arizona. “As such, we are pleased to be able to collaborate with a local partner in SOLON, and with our local utility, TEP, to develop cutting-edge storage solutions.”
SOLON Corporation, a leader in utility-scale and large commercial photovoltaic (PV) systems, offers a unique combination of PV module manufacturing and power plant expertise to the North American market. SOLON delivers complete and cost-effective turnkey PV systems solutions to its partners with a streamlined approach from design and construction to financing and operation. With module manufacturing facilities in Tucson, AZ, SOLON is driven by a passion for ecological change and a commitment to providing superior solar solutions with unrivaled quality and reliability. Founded in 2007, SOLON Corporation is a subsidiary of SOLON SE, a leading international provider of solar solutions for residential, commercial and utility-scale applications. SOLON SE operates subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, France and the US with more than 800 employees worldwide.
