SOLARAWARDS2011 WINNERS
events (such as passing clouds), and their value proposition is almost entirely defined by the cost of solar panels. Probelm Solved: Petra Solar pioneers a new technology and a completely new value proposition by combining widely distributed solar generation (not affected by local weather; no new transmission lines required) with smart grid infrastructure. The technology pairs well with utility customer’s business models, scales gracefully, and improve grid reliability and disaster preparedness.
Noteworthy: We create the equivalent of hundreds of football fields of solar arrays out of thin air and offer smart grid functionality without an expensive overhaul. What once required tremendous amounts of space is achievable in dense cities where power demands are high and a smart grid is critical.
Innovation: Petra Solar is the first company to implement virtual power plants, or highly geographically distributed renewable energy generation systems. The level of distribution of a solar generation system is its best insurance against intermittency, i.e., how much the system is limited by passing clouds or storms.
By mounting solar panels on utility poles throughout a utilitys territory (which can even include an entire state), the company achieves a level of distribution never before met by a unified solar project. Further, these virtual power plants are packaged in a new, compelling value proposition that combines power generation, smart grid functionality, and siting/permiting cost savings, which are better suited to the particular needs of utilities than any existing solar generation offering.
SunWave is also novel because it reacts to similarly novel times in the utility industry. With the advent of electric vehicles and other technology that places new demands on the electric grid, utilities will increasingly focus on enabling smart grid solutions that will facilitate grid reliability and stability. Petra Solar has pioneered a partnership approach with utilities to address, maintain and improve power quality and reliability.
Customer Benefits: At the most basic level, we see the SunWave solution paving the way for two main changes in the field: the evolution of solar powers value proposition to include other functionalities (such as smart grid) and greater distribution of renewable energy generation. Both offer such clear technical and economic benefits that they cannot be ignored for long, and we enjoy a position of first mover in both areas of change.
This unique packaged approach to distributed energy generation with smart grid capabilities allows for more effective use of public infrastructure to enable efficient, effective data gathering and communications, as well as an ability to recover quickly when emergencies strike. This means that as utilities seek to invest in solutions that will help to upgrade the electric grid into a smart, responsive system, they have access to a
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www.solar-pv-management.com I Issue IX 2011
future-proof solution that ensures more reliable delivery of energy.
The technology also offers utilities an easy entry point for the smart, renewable energy grid of the future that will provide diverse opportunities. A recent Electric Power Resources Institute (EPRI) 2011 report states that a complete smart grid overhaul of our existing transmission and distribution electric system will cost upwards of $476 billion a daunting task but necessary to ensure a secure energy future.
However, compared to an expected $2 trillion ROI over time after these upgrades have been performed, Petra Solars solution eases critical pain points in an enormous market that enables profitable, direct utility ownership of solar.
This unique combination accelerates ROI and payback to become the natural path of least resistance that leverages the utility core business model to build Smart Grid infrastructure of tomorrow. SunWave also advances smart grid functionality.
For example, its dynamic reactive power control automatically offsets abnormal voltage fluctuation from the power supply, making it much more difficult to cripple the entire grid by localizing system failures in the event of disaster. This is of particular interest to the industry in light of the recent earthquake in Japan.
Note from the Judges: Until now, solar power has only been economic in large solar arrays, but these are subject to land use battles, their power output can be affected by local weather events (such as passing clouds), and their value proposition is almost entirely defined by the cost of solar panels. A growing area for solar and PV application is large scale projects, often in a public setting.
One stumbling block has been integrating solar based energy over time without the need for large storage devices leading to innovative methods of using PV in large scale without requiring a plant size investment.
The winner of this award has pioneered a new technology and value proposition by combining widely distributed solar generation (not affected by local weather; no new transmission lines required) with smart grid infrastructure.
The technology pairs well with utility customer’s business models, scales gracefully, and improves grid reliability and disaster preparedness.
They create the equivalent of hundreds of football fields of solar arrays out of thin air and offer smart grid functionality without an expensive overhaul. What once required tremendous amounts of space is achievable in dense cities where power demands are high and a smart grid is critical.
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