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Effective Utilization of Solar Power in the electricity industry during summer.

Henry Obia

During summer where there is reasonable amount of sunlight considering the longer day phenomenon.

  • Can we say that electricity generation from solar PV systems is under-utilized?
  • What other possible ways or strategies other than battery storage could be most suitable in handling the excess electricity production from PV systems in the summer period?

In my thoughts, I believe there should be more capital investments in solar PV and mini grids system owing to the numerous merits which are not limited to; low maintenance and operating cost, carbon footprint reduction, job creation, enhanced energy independence and inexhaustible and renewable source of energy.

However, concerns still draws on its limitations such as; need for storage (battery), concerns regarding land use, seasonal variation, high initial capital cost, and its intermittency of output which is dependent on the season, weather and time factor especially during winter.

  • Is there anything else that could enhance or sustain solar power generation?
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  • There are various solutions available for converting excess electricity into useful heat at reasonable capital cost.

    Resistive heaters can be used to substitute for fossil fuels, either through firebrick resistive heat storage (giant storage heaters referred to as 'FIRES', lots of work in the MIT Nuclear Research Group), or simply through electrode boilers.

    These systems do have the advantage that can be coupled directly to distribution systems at 11-33kV if needed, especially in the case of electrode boilers.

    As fossil heat use, even in summer, tends to be many many gigawatts, it seems likely that the summer electrical price could be held above a floor of approximately the marginal fossil fuel-derived heat price for quite some time through such measures.

    An electrode boiler especially has a very low capital cost, rapid response times and comparatively little maintenance.

    I would propose a tariff structure with a very low 'surplus power' rate, which would be activated using smart meters or similar by the utility at times of surplus, possibly on a regional basis. This tariff should be set to just below the price of a customer's alternative fossil fuel source, which in most cases will be natural gas on a connection sized comparable to their peak demand.

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  • There are various solutions available for converting excess electricity into useful heat at reasonable capital cost.

    Resistive heaters can be used to substitute for fossil fuels, either through firebrick resistive heat storage (giant storage heaters referred to as 'FIRES', lots of work in the MIT Nuclear Research Group), or simply through electrode boilers.

    These systems do have the advantage that can be coupled directly to distribution systems at 11-33kV if needed, especially in the case of electrode boilers.

    As fossil heat use, even in summer, tends to be many many gigawatts, it seems likely that the summer electrical price could be held above a floor of approximately the marginal fossil fuel-derived heat price for quite some time through such measures.

    An electrode boiler especially has a very low capital cost, rapid response times and comparatively little maintenance.

    I would propose a tariff structure with a very low 'surplus power' rate, which would be activated using smart meters or similar by the utility at times of surplus, possibly on a regional basis. This tariff should be set to just below the price of a customer's alternative fossil fuel source, which in most cases will be natural gas on a connection sized comparable to their peak demand.

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