The impact of solar photovoltaic generation on balancing requirements in the southern Nevada system

Abstract

The impact of integrating large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) generation on the balancing requirements in terms of regulation and load-following requirements in the southern Nevada balancing area is evaluated. The “swinging door” algorithm and the “probability box” method developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) were used to quantify the impact of large PV generation on the balancing requirements of the system operations. The system's actual scheduling, real-time dispatch and regulation processes were simulated. Different levels of distributed generation were also considered in the study. The impact of hourly solar PV generation forecast errors on regulation and load-following requirements was assessed. The sensitivity of balancing requirements with respect to real-time forecast errors of large PV generation was analyzed.