ESTAP Webinar: Optimizing the Benefits of a PV with Battery Storage System

Clean Energy States Alliance and its Energy Storage Technology Advancement Partnership (ESTAP) project hosted a webinar with the U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Electricity and Sandia National Laboratories.

Webinar description: PNM’s Prosperity Energy Storage Project, funded in part through the ARRA/DOE Smart Grid Storage Demonstration Program, has continuously demonstrated, with very high reliability figures, utility scale PV smoothing and shifting. PV smoothing has been demonstrated utilizing a variety of assigned smoothing battery capacities, control algorithms and signal inputs. Extensive 1 second data has been gathered and is being statistically analyzed through a numerical methods optimization approach in order to determine the optimal level of smoothing required for the project’s associated 500kW PV installation.

The project has also been successfully demonstrating shifting of PV, namely producing firmed PV production and peak shaving local feeder loads. The algorithm running these functions has evolved to automatically retrieve cloud cover predictions, feeder loadings from PNM’s SCADA as well as real time and forecasted peak prices from western energy hubs. It is now using these inputs to make optimized decisions on how to best deliver stored energy by maximizing benefits against battery life. The presentation will highlight examples of the successful operation, results of the optimization analyses and lessons learned.

An introduction by Dr. Imre Gyuk, Energy Storage Program Manager in the US DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, provided the background on this project.

Guest Speakers:

• Steve Willard, Project Manager at PNM Resources
• Dan Borneo, Engineering Project Manager, Sandia National Laboratories