MARS also includes an innovative type of inverter that can maintain grid stability and jumpstart the grid after a disturbance. The researchers found that MARS reduced electrical costs by up to 40%, as they developed an algorithm to fine-tune plant size and energy storage to maximize annual revenue. For example, when the solar panels weren’t generating electricity at night, MARS could continue to connect the AC and DC transmission systems and use stored battery power to supplement its operation. MARS can also reconfigure itself based on available energy. And because it’s plug-and-play, it’s easier and cheaper for utilities to get it online.Ĭase simulations in hardware that were based on two California sites revealed that MARS achieved up to 50% reduction in power loss, a 16% improvement in stabilizing AC voltage frequency, and 100% detection of cyber intrusions. The project is called MARS, or “multi-port autonomous reconfigurable solar power plant.” It’s an all-in-one package that includes power electronics, electrical architecture, and cybersecurity software. As a result, renewable power can be more easily and reliably transmitted. The US power grid includes a smaller number of high-voltage DC lines that are more efficient at delivering bulk power over long distances or to remote regions.Ĭonverting current between DC and AC requires specialized power electronics. So researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a design and control system and architecture for a solar and storage plant that can provide power to both AC and DC high-voltage lines. But solar and battery storage uses direct current, or DC, that flows in a single direction. Most of the US power grid uses alternating current, or AC, which constantly switches the direction of electron flow. A team at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a utility-scale solar and storage project that can provide power to both AC and DC high-voltage lines, and thus shore up grid stability – here’s how it works.
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