Turbulence

Intermittency

Engineering

Environmental economics

Microeconomics

Dispatchable generation

Economics

Distributed generation

Business

Thermodynamics

Physics

Renewable energy

Remuneration

Environmental science

Finance

Production (economics)

Electrical engineering

Solar Energy

Current thinking considers that PV output curtailment is a last resort measure to be avoided. In this article, we argue that supply-shaping, achieved through proactive curtailment associated with PV oversupply, is actually critical to achieving intermittency mitigation and delivering firm PV generation at the lowest cost. We investigate the premium to transform a low-cost, but intermittent solar kWh into a firm, effectively dispatchable kWh. We show that a fundamental ingredient of minimizing this premium is to optimally overbuild and, as necessary and appropriate, curtail PV generation. Drawing on a case study in the State of Minnesota, we show that firm, high-penetration-ready PV generation could be achieved at a production cost at or below current conventional generation, especially when optimally coupled with wind generation. We conclude with a recommendation that in order to achieve this lowest cost firm generation potential, proactive curtailment strategies should inform future transactional PV remuneration systems.

Overbuilding &amp; curtailment: The cost-effective enablers of firm PV generation

Overbuilding &amp; curtailment: The cost-effective enablers of firm PV generation

Overbuilding & curtailment: The cost-effective enablers of firm PV generation