Renewable Energy Systems Australia (RESA) has announced that its STATCOM/inverter, VoltLogic, will be deployed at Palmerston Golf Club in Darwin, Northern Territory in a partnership with the club, a prominent local solar installation company, and local utility Power & Water. The project will demonstrate one of the device’s key functionalities: its ability to limit the amount of solar power exported to the electrical grid.
In sparsely populated areas such as the NT and northern WA, where the electricity grid is ‘thin’, high penetrations of distributed rooftop solar systems can lead to stability issues. Too much solar in these regions can result in localised grid voltage levels that exceed the limits set by local utilities, and can potentially damage electronic appliances & network infrastructure or lead to blackouts. In the NT, Power & Water have responded to this issue by setting limits on solar system size and the amount of power that solar systems are allowed to export to the grid.
But the default for a grid-connected rooftop solar system is to automatically channel solar power first into the appliances in the building on which it is mounted, then to export any excess electricity to the grid; few technologies are available to specifically stop this from happening. The direct involvement of Power & Water in the Palmerston Golf Club project is therefore significant, showing that the utility is committed to finding solutions that work for both those who want to go solar as well as for the well-being of its own network.
As an increasing number of businesses look to solar power to cut their electricity bills, so does demand for a devices that will help their solar systems (which are usually larger than residential solar systems) to become more utility-friendly. VoltLogic, with its ability to limit and control the export of solar to the grid, is one such device. Its export control functionality will make it possible for Palmerson Gold Club’s solar array to be connected to the grid without issues.
RESA’s VoltLogic controls the amount & quality of solar electricity exported to the grid.
© 2013 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
