Page 29 - North American Clean Energy May/June 2020 Issue

grid. EV adoption in California is greatly increasing energy demand, which could push the grid past capacity, especially during evening hours.
The intermittency of PV makes it difficult for utilities to control and manage the grid. This is especially prevalent in California, but can also
be seen across the country. The higher penetration of renewable energy is simply more than the grid can handle
in its current configuration. It must be managed and coordinated smarter and more efficiently with regard to how and where energy is produced, consumed, and stored. Fortunately, California’s plan to install batteries with PV systems is one of the best ways to manage PV generation to improve grid stability.
We need to make a smarter transition with our power infrastructure to be distributed, decarbonized, and more cost-effective. The good news is that homeowners and utility companies are increasingly becoming the driving force in making that transition, as is evidenced by the CPUC announcement1.
Solar energy systems with battery backup are solutions that can be implemented now. In the short term, they would alleviate the impact of blackouts and reduce the need to transport energy across long distances. In the long term and deployed en masse, solar-plus- battery systems can help utilities create virtual power plants (VPPs). This is
where the energy industry is headed - it lets consumers play an active role in the energy market (as “prosumers”, producers and consumers), while achieving greater grid independence and resilience. By launching VPPs that aggregate a large
quantity of distributed energy production and storage, California is once again leading the way in managing clean power.
As we reflect on the devastation the wildfires caused in California, the resulting power shutdowns and their impact, and efforts to lessen that impact in the future, let’s view the experience as a major lesson learned from a state that is proving to be at the forefront of a solution for a resilient energy grid.
Lior Handelsman founded SolarEdge in 2006 and currently serves as Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy. He is responsible for defining and steering SolarEdge’s strategic global marketing activities, media outreach, product roadmap and vision, corporate product strategy, as well global product management, and corporate
business development. Prior to founding SolarEdge, Mr. Handelsman spent 11 years leading power electronics research and development teams, and directing large-scale, multidisciplinary research and development projects. Mr. Handelsman holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (cum laude) and an MBA from the Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology.
SolarEdge /// www.solaredge.com
1 http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M321/K658/321658813.PDF
Compact Power-over- Ethernet switch
WAGO’s new compact Power-over- Ethernet (PoE) expands its line of industrial grade Ethernet switches. Just two inches wide and four inches tall, the 852-1411/000-001 PoE switch is suitable for all applications with limited space. The wide voltage input of 24Vdc to 57Vdc, makes
the 852-1411/000-001 switch an option for all PoE applications. The switch supports both PoE operation modes A and B, with all of the ports supporting 10/100/1000 Mbits/s. This new ECO (economy) PoE+ switch is unmanaged, supplies 30W of power per PoE port and has an operating temperature of 14°F to 140°F (-10°C to 60°C). It eliminates the need to run both an Ethernet cable and power cables to end devices, ultimately reducing cost.
WAGO /// www.wago.us
1500 Volt 30 Amp I-V Curves
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