One of the most inconvenient aspects of renewable energy solutions such as wind or solar power is that the energy is produced with no regard to the actual needs of the electrical grid being supplied the power. The grid, even in the United States, has times when it cannot accept the energy produced by solar panels or wind turbines. The excess supply over demand often results in the temporary shutdown of production.

Part of the problem of excess power is that electrical grids are not efficient distributors of power. The U.S. has one of the largest, in miles and capacity, electrical grids on the planet but even here excess electricity from California has little chance of filling a need for electricity in New York City. The grid, actually a series of partially interconnected grids, just doesn’t operate that way.

The Main Interconnections of the U.S. Electric Power Grid and the 10 North American Electric Reliability Council Regions. Click on the map for more information.

Poor interconnection is one reason excess electricity cannot be moved across country. Electricity is moved via high voltage lines. For a variety of reasons, primarily political, these lines have become increasingly difficult to construct.

US electrical power grid transmission lines

One solution that allows solar and wind sources to continue to produce electricity is to store the energy until it is needed. Storage also would allow these energy producers to provide electricity to the grid at night or when the wind is not blowing. The concept of storage and the reality of storage are far apart, however, as battery design and engineering continues to lag the rest of the technology.

One utility company in New Mexico has brought a project online that may provide a solution to the storage issue. The PNM Prosperity Energy Storage Project can generate 500 KW of electrical power using 2,158 solar panels. The excess electricity produced is stored in 1,280 lead-acid batteries and the process is controlled by high tech smart grid controls.

PNM is using the smart grid controls to supply electricity to its grid from storage when the solar array is producing at a decreased output, night or clouds overhead. When electrical demand is less, the solar power is diverted to storage by the smart grid controls.

Other electrical production methods have little ability to control output in increments. This project demonstrates that the right technology combined with a green energy source can provide a constant supply of electricity while responding to changes in demand.

Mahdi Jonny, an electrical engineer with the Joint Projects Management Office, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, checks the wiring on a series of solar panels on the roof of the New Iraq Health Clinic in Gazaliyah, Aug. 12. Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

The roof of the New Iraq Health Clinic here in the Gazaliyah district looks a little different from the buildings surrounding it. Two rows of solar panels, collecting the bountiful Mesopotamian sunlight, now provide the building’s power through solar powered battery systems.

The addition is part of an ongoing effort by the Joint Projects Management Office (JPMO) of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, according to Maj. Andrew Attar, from Bristol, Conn., the JPMO chief.

“The solar panel project started in April, but like most of the clinics in Baghdad, various American funding sources have gone into it over the years,” said Attar. “The solar panels help to augment the electrical grid which is improving every day but still not consistent enough for a medical facility.”

Solar power has greatly improved operations inside the clinic, which services the local area, according to Attar.

“It pretty much powers the entire clinic,” he said. “We’ve had to reduce the number of refrigerated air conditioning units, but in their place we put air units that have less energy needs and still provide cool air.”

The JPMO inspected the solar power system to ensure that it was working efficiently and correctly, Attar explained.

“We inspected the [solar] panels but more importantly we inspected the internal wiring within the clinic to make sure the loads are properly segregated,” he said. “Some rooms require a lot of energy, some rooms require very little energy, so that is one of the finishing touches – if it’s not done right, it’s a problem. We’re making sure that a room requiring a lot of energy has the proper wiring so it can handle the load.”

Attar added that the quality assurance/quality control aspect of the project is equally important.

“Our job is to make sure that the money that the American tax payers are spending is used in accordance with the statement of work agreed upon by us and the contractors,” he said. “We don’t pay until the work’s done right.”

The New Iraq Health Clinic is the third clinic in Baghdad to receive solar powered battery systems, according to Attar.

DVIDS
By Sgt. Joshua Risner