Through a first-of-its-kind program, inverters improve overall
reliability for customers
Company Website:
http://aps.com
PHOENIX -- (Business Wire)
This week, hundreds of APS Solar Partner Program customers will help
their utility make history. Advanced technology installed along with
participants’ solar panels is beginning to collect data that will help
APS better understand and manage the energy flowing into neighborhoods
across the state. APS is the first utility in the nation to deploy and
control this advanced technology remotely – meaning that the utility can
operate the solar installations as they would a power plant, ramping up
or curtailing power based on customers’ real-time energy needs.
The device is called an advanced inverter. Inverters are installed with
solar panels to convert the electricity from a one-way flow of energy
(direct current) to a two-way flow of energy (alternating current –
which matches the current on the electric grid). The advanced inverters
used as part of APS’s Solar Partner Program (SPP) just received their UL
certification, allowing the utility to start full command and control of
the device.
These advanced inverters will help APS regulate the amount of energy
flowing into the grid in neighborhoods with participating SPP customers.
This power quality regulation is no different than what the utility does
24/7/365. However, with the explosion of distributed energy
installations across the state, managing the energy flow on the grid –
to ensure customers continue to receive safe, reliable electricity – has
become a greater challenge, with mini power plants appearing on rooftops
all over Arizona.
“Energy used to flow in one direction, from our power plants to a
customer’s home or business. That is no longer true today,” said Scott
Bordenkircher, APS Director of Technology Innovation. “With the
deployment of distributed generating resources like rooftop solar,
energy now flows back and forth on the grid. Advanced inverters will
help us better manage the grid – for the safety of our crews working on
the power lines, and so customers can continue to receive the reliable
electricity they have come to expect from APS.”
The Solar Partner Program was launched in early 2015, when the company
enlisted the help of 1,500 customers to host rooftop solar systems at no
cost to the customer. In fact, the utility is essentially renting the
customer’s roof for $360 a year for the next 20 years. Advanced
inverters were installed along with the solar panels, helping the
utility test the new technology that will benefit all of APS’s 1.2
million customers.
“The small power plants found on customer rooftops across the state
present interesting challenges to service quality and reliability, and
advanced inverters are a technology APS believes can help avoid service
disruptions and power quality issues,” Bordenkircher said. “APS is
taking an industry lead with this program – and others like it – that
will ultimately provide data essential to helping utilities achieve a
more reliable and sustainable grid, while providing for greater customer
technology choice.”
APS,
Arizona’s largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves nearly
1.2 million customers in 11 of the state’s 15 counties. With
headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle
West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160407006316/en/
Contacts:
APS
Media Contact:
Jenna Shaver, 602-250-4403
Analyst
Contact:
Paul Mountain, 602-250-4952
Website: aps.com/newsroom
Source: APS
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