Photovoltaic plus combined heat and power: Difference between revisions

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Small scale CHP systems offer the opportunity to further enhance the penetration level of solar electricity on the grid. These coupled projects look at the viability of this approach to create a massive distributed generation based electrical system, where individual homes provide their own power and heat.

Expanding Photovoltaic Penetration with Residential Distributed Generation from Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic + Combined Heat and Power Systems

• J. M. Pearce, “Expanding Photovoltaic Penetration with Residential Distributed Generation from Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic + Combined Heat and Power Systems”, Energy 34, pp. 1947-1954 (2009). Free Q -Share pre-print

Abstract

The recent development of small scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems has provided the opportunity for in house power backup of residential scale photovoltaic (PV) arrays. This paper investigates the potential of deploying a distributed network of PV+CHP hybrid systems in order increase the PV penetration level in the U.S. The temporal distribution of solar flux, electrical and heating requirements for representative U.S. single family residences were analyzed and the results clearly show that hybridizing CHP with PV can enable additional PV deployment above what is possible with a conventional centralized electric generation system. The technical evolution of such PV+CHP hybrid systems was developed from the present (near market) technology through four generations, which enable high utilization rates of both PV generated electricity and CHP generated heat. A method to determine the maximum percent of PV generated electricity on the grid without energy storage was derived and applied to an example area. The results show that a PV+CHP hybrid system not only has the potential to radically reduce energy waste in the status quo electrical and heating systems, but it also enables the share of solar PV to be expanded by about a factor of five.

Technical Viability of PV+CHP Hybrid Systems

See:

• Performance of U.S. hybrid distributed energy systems: Solar photovoltaic, battery and combined heat and power
• The Potential for Grid Defection of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Using Solar Photovoltaic, Battery and Generator Hybrid Systems

See also

• PV_and_CHP_Literature_review
• Emerging economic viability of grid defection in a northern climate using solar hybrid systems