Dive Brief:
- The Salt River Project (SRP) is considering how to better integrate rooftop solar systems onto its distribution system as the vertically-integrated Arizona public power utility works to reduce emissions and boost renewable power.
- Voltage fluctuations related to solar customers' generation can cause problems for utilities, but so far SRP's solar load has been small enough for this not to be an issue.
- The Arizona Republic reported that SRP currently has about 10,500 residential customers with solar generating capabilities, in addition to almost 400 businesses. SRP has around 970,000 total retail electricity customers in Arizona.
Dive Insight:
Working to reduce emissions and facing the planned retirement of a 750-MW coal facility, SRP has been trying to boost solar use on its system and earlier this year reported a 25% jump in rooftop installations. But increased interest in solar panels comes with a complication: fluctuating voltage.
To regulate voltage on its distribution system, SRP has been considering the use of smart inverters that would allow the utility to regulate their output. The inverters are typically designed to maximize voltage, but could be altered to control the output, although customers might see a dip in efficiency.
Like all solutions, a smart inverter comes with its own set of possible complications. With enough of them on the system, a utility would need a system to monitor and adjust the inverters. Typically, the inverters are owned by the customer, but utility ownership would give SRP greater control of the solar on its system.