RELIABILITY OF A GENERATING SYSTEM CONTAINING PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENERATION

Abstract

The construction of large conventional electrical generation stations is becoming more and more controversial, due to environmental impact. The result is that many utility companies would like to turn to alternative energy sources, such as photovoltaics and wind, to meet the increasing power requirements. However, there is a reluctance to consider intermittent sources as generation, rather than negative load, because there have been very few studies indicating the amount of conventional load that can offset. This thesis examines the adequacy of a generating system containing photovoltaic power generation using Monte Carlo simulations. The photovoltaic array simulations utilize weather data from Saskatchewan sites to examine the effect of solar energy in northern utilities. These areas have generally not been considered for grid connected photovoltaic systems due to low levels of solar radiation in the winter months. The adequacy of photovoltaic generation is assessed through determining its capacity credit and load carrying capability, along with its ability to replace base load generation.