The lights went out as Hurricane Fiona ravaged areas from the Caribbean to Canada and Hurricane Yang did the same. Hurricanes, along with other natural disasters such as wildfires and winter storms, can deprive people of access to electricity.
However, new research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that increased solar power combined with batteries could help solve the problem. This study makes use of historical long-term power outages (caused by natural disasters) and simulates the performance of a solar system and an on-meter energy storage system that serves as a type of backup power source during long-term power outages.
Behind the meter means that the solar system is installed at the customer's home, on the side of the customer's electricity meter. According to Galen Barbosa, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and co-author of the paper, the most common term for this is dakson. "It's brighter on the client side," he told Ars.
By 2021, about 4% of American homes will be solar-powered. “The growth of behind-the-counter solar is increasing. The numbers are still small, but growing quite quickly," he said.
Digital disaster
The study is part of a three-year project funded by the US Solar Technology Administration. According to Barbose, construction began before Fiona and Yang crashed in the US. According to him, the group was created about a year ago.
Barboz notes that the paper's conclusions are based on computer models rather than field data and are based on simulations, storage and generation of loads. It has two main components. In the first, the team simulated solar panels and batteries in 10 historical cases of long-term power outages caused by natural disasters, including Hurricane Irma and the California wildfires of 2019. For a week or more. For each location, it models the performance of the renewable energy system using meteorological data and existing home stock.
For the second component, the team ran their simulation systems across the United States, region by region, simulating system performance with available reserve power each month of the year, which would affect heating and cooling requirements in the event of a power outage. they last from one to 10 days, says Barboz. "The aim is to understand at the national level where in the country this system will work better or worse? What are the main factors related to climate conditions or building stock conditions that primarily determine yields? He says.
Additionally, the team delved deeper into six different counties, each designated by their largest city (Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, etc.). In this deeper dive, they modeled solar and battery systems on different buildings based on the types of buildings common in the area, their conditions, and the types of equipment found there. "It allows us to better understand what energy efficiency levels are and how the choice of types of heating and cooling equipment ... can really affect outcomes in this region," he said.
Silver plating
The report shows that even small solar systems and batteries can provide usable energy during long periods of power outages. However, larger systems can handle the heating and cooling loads in most locations. A small solar installation of just 10 kWh can provide basic energy needs, excluding heating or cooling, for three days (averaged for all US counties in each month of the year). Meanwhile, a configuration that includes a 30 kWh battery will handle 96% of the load, including heating and cooling. However, there are differences between and within regions. These fluctuations can be caused by factors such as building conditions and heating technology.
The paper also found that in the event of a hurricane, the amount of time the cloud remains intact affects how long customers can continue to recover some battery power. Once the clouds clear, the solar system is capable of providing critical power (absolutely needed power) for weeks or more, the paper said. Solar systems and batteries also perform better when homes are more energy efficient, the paper said. Homes are becoming more energy efficient with features like insulation, heat pump systems, thick windows, smart thermostats, and more.
The research is more focused on analyzing the charging capacity of solar energy when the interruption lasts for a long time. However, Barboz says it includes several steps that homeowners or builders can take to improve the solar system's ability to provide that energy.
