Solar Energy and its Future Beyond Cost Parity

Photovoltaic solar energy systems have crossed grid parity in much of the world, the level at which electricity produced by PV systems competes with conventional electricity grid energy. As costs continue to fall, power electronics can change PV systems from "negative load" to supportive grid generation resources. This presentation defines several types of grid parity and shows how they affect system decisions. Methods that allow PV systems to support the dynamic operating requirements of the grid are summarized. Cost models show that PV systems should begin to play a role much like the conventional central-plant resources they seek to replace. This talk discusses methods to support concepts like spinning reserve, inertia, voltage stability, and other crucial grid operating issues.
Philip Krein holds the Grainger Endowed Emeritus Chair in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also Executive Dean of the Zhejiang University/University of Illinois Institute in Haining, China. He was a founder and Director of SolarBridge Technologies, Inc., a developer of long-life integrated inverters for solar energy.