Satcon Receives Funding To Reduce Effects Of Renewable Energy Intermittency

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Satcon Technology Corp., a provider of utility-grade power-conversion solutions for the renewable energy market, and A123 Systems, Renewable Energy Services (RES) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) have been selected by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to receive a $2 million grant to develop and demonstrate methods to reduce the effects of renewable energy intermittency.

The funding is part of a larger initiative to develop solutions to enable higher penetration of renewable energy onto the electric grid through solar energy harvest, storage and array control capabilities, Satcon explains.

The project is designed to address grid integration challenges through the development of PV-integrated electric energy-storage systems capable of voltage and frequency support, PV firming, real power dispatch and ramp-rate control. The project team will develop, test and demonstrate the proposed technology at SMUD's corporate headquarters in Sacramento, Calif.

The system will comprise a 500 kW PV array, Satcon's 500 kW PowerGate Plus utility-ready inverter solution and a 500 kWh advanced lithium-ion battery energy-storage system from A123 that will leverage a high-voltage version of Satcon's battery power conditioning system (Satcon Spectrum PCS) featuring Satcon's EDGE Adaptive Control Architecture (EDGE ACA) in order to enable voltage stabilization, frequency control and continuous operation of the PV plant in the event of major grid instabilities, including faults, the company explains.

The project is part of the CEC's Public Interest Energy Research Renewable Program, which funds initiatives that help meet research, development and demonstration needs related to the more rapid and environmentally responsible deployment of utility-scale renewable energy.

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