This article discusses why Hawaii needs to find new ways to handle the influx of solar power. In Hawaii, rooftop solar panels are popping up everywhere. However, the solar boom has also created some complications, including sudden changes or disruptions in the system or problems at the distribution side, when there are lots of PV connected at the rooftops. Electrical loads in homes fluctuate all the time as power-hungry appliances like air conditioners and water heaters turn on and off, resulting in a high probability of low load and too much power. Power can go back through the nearby substation transformer and cause a rise in the voltage. That the state is split into several small islands further complicates matters. Another challenge unique to Hawaii is that each island in Hawaii is its own independent grid, and there are no neighbors to depend on for power.
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December 2015
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Grid Trouble in Paradise
As Hawaii Moves Toward a Renewable-Dominated Electricity System, the State's Utilities Need to Find New Ways to Handle the Influx of Solar Power
Tom Gibson, P.E., Is a consulting mechanical engineer based In Milton. Pa. He publishes Progressive Engineer, an online magazine and information source (www.ProgressiveEngineer.com).
Mechanical Engineering. Dec 2015, 137(12): 42-47 (6 pages)
Published Online: December 1, 2015
Citation
Gibson, T. (December 1, 2015). "Grid Trouble in Paradise." ASME. Mechanical Engineering. December 2015; 137(12): 42–47. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2015-Dec-3
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