Thoughts on Solar

They say all good things come to they who wait - and boy have I been waiting for this day for a long, long time! But Enphase has finally released their much anticipated IQ8 microinverter - the first device that can provide “Sunlight Backup” without batteries! Here’s my take…

Long Time Comin!

Those of you who follow this blog know that I have been writing about the IQ8 microinverter for almost forever, starting with this piece from August 2018, titled “What I saw at Enphase - Mind Blown!“  Back then I was fortunate enough to get to visit the Enphase lab in Petaluma and got to see a demonstration of what Enphase is now calling “Sunlight Backup” - the ability for your PV system to continue to operate when the grid goes down.  While I wasn’t allowed to record the demo, Enphase, to mark the public release of the IQ8, has posted the following video which illustrates the concept quite nicely:

This is the wow-factor for the IQ8 - when combined with an automatic transfer switch for code compliance - if the grid fails during the day, your PV system with IQ8s on the roof will continue to produce power, no batteries needed!

Of course, there are a few caveats: during the day the output from your PV system will fluctuate based on prevailing conditions.  For example, it rained like crazy here yesterday - and the power went out!  How much value would the PV have been then?  Not too much.  However, today the sun is shining like crazy and the weather is cool, the air clean - outstanding day for solar production.  Go ahead, take down the grid, we’ll be just fine!

And a word about code compliance.  The anti-islanding rules that require a grid-tied PV system to not export power to the grid when the grid fails, are still very much in force.  After all, we want our systems to be safe for all involved.  So to meet code, you need to also install an automatic transfer switch, which Enphase is now calling the IQ System Controller - FKA Enpower - into your system.  But the IQ System Controller costs a fraction of what the actual storage components do, so this is a way to have some power during the day at minimal additional cost!

As this video nicely demonstrates, if you have too many loads turned on when the grid fails, the microgrid cannot start.  But as soon as you shed sufficient loads, the microgrid will form instantly, all on its own.

Enphase has put together a pretty good chart (albeit kinda small here, but click on it to see it full size) that shows the components needed to achieve different capabilities:

Solar Only is what we have been doing for years.  Home Essentials Backup, aka partial-home backup, and Full Energy Independence, aka full-home backup are what you get when you add storage.  But Sunlight Backup is what IQ8 brings to the party!

Please don’t keep-a me waitin…

So when can we put these on your roof?  Well not today, that’s for certain.  We are being told that we will see shipments toward the end of December.  (Of course, if they are coming into the ports of either LA or Long Beach, we could be waiting for months!)   First quarter of next year is likely a safer bet.  Still waiting to see firm pricing as well, but figure something like 25% higher than the comparable IQ7+ that we have been installing for the past two years - and without a single unit failure!

The wait is almost over - watch this space!

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Energy Commission (CEC) have issued a Preliminary Root Cause Analysis Report following the summer wildfires. Throughout this report, the collective determined that California is unprepared for the current climate and highlights the need for greater funding and revision into Resource Adequacy planning. 

The wildfires in August led to power outages all over the state. A huge impact was experienced in the natural gas sector resulting in 1,400MW to 2,000MW of forced outages. In addition, unprecedented spikes in energy demand occurred on August 14th and 15th–the same time as the initial outages. This increase in energy consumption was not only unexpected but was unaccounted for in the planning process due to the lack of certainty surrounding COVID-19. 

According to CAISO president and CEO Eliot Mainzer, “This preliminary root cause analysis is an important step in helping us learn from the events on the 14^th and 15^th of August.” The main focus is shifted towards detecting weaknesses in resource prediction and how to adjust to new and ever-changing energy patterns. Resource Adequacy is determined by electricity demand at peak hours of consumption. Assuming there is enough electricity to withstand peak demand, there should be plenty to suffice the grid at other times. Right? 

Unfortunately, it is not that simple! Instead of one single peak demand period, we now experience “multiple critical periods during the day,” according to the report. This is due to a rapid growth of solar integration within the grid, resulting in a net peak demand. As more renewables make their way into the grid, such as solar and wind, peak demand is ‘offset’ by these resources. Therefore, net peak demand is renewable energy production subtracted from demand.

Net peak demand is difficult to determine. “Over time, critical grid needs may manifest in other hours, seasons or conditions as the energy resource portfolio continues to evolve…”–which is why implementing backup storage is a necessary step to account for uncertainties in consumption. With more storage, California can increase grid capacity and reform peak demand rates. CPUC has been working with load-serving entities to enhance grid reliability through solar-plus-storage, hybrid storage, and 300MW of wind and solar. The report also pushes for completion of these projects by a targeted date. 

This impactful Root Cause Analysis is exposing the flaws in the energy sector and hitting them head on. With greater realization of the issues at hand, comes greater responsibility to take action and demand change. California is leaning into energy storage as it becomes the most sustainable and efficient solution to combat the heat of summer. 

Enphase Ensemble Lab in Petaluma

When you are turning on your AC or other large household appliances, you probably don’t think about how much current these systems require to start-up. Yet many appliances are going to be pulling anywhere from 2 to 2.5 times their regular running current to complete the start-up process. This large change in amperage is what we call a “surge current”.

“Surge current refers to a short-term spike in power demand from a particular appliance to get it started…” For example, when your car battery dies– you have to jump it using another cars battery. “Something similar happens for high load appliances in your home when they are turned on,” suggests Enphase.

With the recent fires and grid blackouts– Californians are coming to grips with the pressing need for solar energy backed by smart storage. The current storage systems on the market have struggled to keep up with surge current loads. This makes it nearly impossible for homes to be independent from the grid. Your system may be able to keep your appliances running, but what happens when they stop? 

According to Enphase, “This inability to handle power-hungry appliances has been a challenge for battery storage systems for years… until now.” 

Into that void now comes the new Power Start™ by Enphase. This technology is designed to help reliably start every appliance in your home during a blackout. Power Start’s unique algorithm detects when a large appliance is trying to start back up and automatically disperses the same amount energy over a fraction of a second. 

This technology can be added onto the Encharge 10 battery systems, which have a continuous power rating of 3.84kWs and a surge power rating of 5.76kWs for 10 seconds.

You can click this link to find common surge current demands within different appliances.

The new Power Start by Enphase is a necessary and vital addition to battery storage systems. This technology will improve reliability and independence from the grid.

As energy storage becomes increasingly necessary for California residents, solar developers are pushing the bounds of backup battery systems.

Gateway Energy Storage Project, San Diego, California.

LS Power has just created one of the largest battery systems in the world! The Gateway Energy Storage project was finalized and unveiled this year on August 19^th in San Diego, California.

The 250MW system will enhance California’s grid reliability, according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). In addition, the project will greatly reduce energy costs and will contribute to California’s goals to meet clean energy demands. By charging the batteries during off-peak hours, energy can be delivered back to the grid during on-peak demand, which will greatly decrease energy rates for consumers.

LS Power CEO Paul Segal observed: “For more than three decades, LS Power has been at the leading edge of our nation’s transition to cleaner, more innovative energy solutions, and we are powering up Gateway Energy Storage as one more component of this vision.

Through our investments in multiple sectors of the renewables and energy infrastructure space, LS Power is reducing carbon emissions and improving reliability in the markets we serve.”

So, what exactly does this mean for solar integration through the utility?

Grid scale battery storage is a game changer in today’s energy market. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), battery storage is one of several technology options that can enhance power system flexibility and enable high levels of renewable energy integration. Large energy storage centers, like Gateway, can receive solar production from various sources across the gird network. When the energy comes in from a solar power plant, it can be stored in the batteries and later re-distributed to thousands of businesses and houses.

This is a great way to connect the utility with large-scale solar production. Battery storage centers are opening the door for a renewable energy grid takeover. As we steer further away from fossil fuels, we will see a smoother transition into solar applicability. Powering cities with renewable energy is becoming feasible and inexpensive. Companies like LS power are paving the way for solar technology and accomplishing what we once thought was impossible through back up battery storage.

And to think that some people don’t believe you can run a 21^st economy with renewables!

It’s hot here in California, fry an egg on the sidewalk style hot, and the grid is feeling the heat.  The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) - the entity responsible for managing the grid - has issued warnings about possible outages, and even our local utility, Pasadena Water & Power, sent out emails to customers warning that cutoffs might be necessary.  The extreme conditions have prompted some extreme reactions, blaming the State’s shift to more and more renewables as the cause of the problem.  But overlooked in all of this is the contribution of local solar power systems, “behind the meter,” that have greatly improved the present situation, and with more aggressive utilization of storage, could do even more.  Here’s our take…

Blame Game

Let’s start by looking at what is causing the present problem. As we all know too well, we are in the middle of a pandemic and conditions in California have been depressingly awful, with a 7-day moving average of new cases at nearly 9,000.  As a result, a lot more people than usual are working from home, driving up electricity loads as we struggle to remain sane, and if possible, cool.  That’s been tough, as the entire state is in the grip of a week-long heat wave, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, and in some places, above 110!  All of that has created record demands for electricity and the grid has struggled to meet that need, with spot prices hitting all-time highs.

For those opposed to California’s efforts to “green the grid,” this provides an opportunity to go on offense. Cue Republican Assemblymember, and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Utilities and Energy, Jim Patterson:

You can’t run a 21st century economy that’s the fifth largest on the planet with wind and solar. I have been warning over and over again that the policies coming out of the democrat-controlled legislature and Governors’ office are creating the conditions for blackouts and brownouts and here we are seeing the evidence.

Wow, just how wrong can you be?  Let’s be clear: no 21st-century economy is going to survive the century if we don’t figure out how to do so with solar, wind and other, non-fossil fuel based sources of electricity.  And despite the predictable piling on from climate change deniers, there are multiple paths ahead for getting to an all-green electric grid.

Behind the Meter to the Rescue!

All of the stories about the blackouts, however, ignore the contribution - both present and future - of behind the meter resources, that is, local, rooftop solar.  Our friends over at CALSSA sent out the following graph that helps to make those contributions concrete:

There’s a lot going on here so let’s break it down.  The brown curve is the actual reported demand data from CAISO on August 14th.  But without the contributions from the million plus behind-the-meter solar installations the actual load would have been significantly greater, as shown by the yellow line.  That is capacity the ratepayers of California did not have to purchase, but still benefited from its production.  Moreover, as the yellow line shows, the peak demand is actually at 3 p.m., but thanks to behind-the-meter installations, the peak on the grid is both lower, and later, a fact not often explained to the public.

The vertical lines mark the period last Friday that was subject to rolling blackouts - from roughly 7 to 10 p.m.  As the merger of the yellow and brown lines around that time indicate, solar production is no longer a factor.  But there is still a role to play as storage begins to be deployed with ever greater frequency.  CALSSA’s policy director, Brad Heavner (who created this illustration), notes:

If California builds 3 GW of additional energy storage systems at customer locations that can be dispatched during grid shortages, it would further trim evening peak needs. This is shown in the figure as the dotted blue line. CALSSA estimates the state can achieve this level of build-out within the next five years with state policies.

This is certainly doable, but it will take ongoing financial support, and preferably a more transparent rebate program than the present, byzantine SGIP program.

Ironically, the utilities are pushing their customers into purchasing more storage, as the public’s patience with grid outages - whether from rolling blackouts, or utility initiated public safety power shutoffs - is at an all-time low. As sophisticated products like the Enphase Energy Ensemble Storage system become available, more and more solar consumers will become storage consumers as well.  Once again, the ratepaying public will benefit from those investments, and hopefully all of us will be able to keep our cool!