Presentation Details
| Analysis of Photovoltaic Fleet Performance during August 2020 Western US Heatwave Bennet Meyers, Kirsten Perry, Dirk Jordan. National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, CO, USA |
Abstract
In August 2020, the Western United States experienced an extreme heatwave combined with wildfires, which resulted in rolling blackouts on August 14 and 15, 2020. In this work, we analyze the NLR PV Fleets data set, focusing on the geographic area covered by the Western Coordinating Council (WECC). We find that over the 10-day period from August 14 through 24, the median PV system produced 12% lower energy than expected, with some locations experiencing total losses in excess of 30%. Analyzing the spatial-temporal structure of the data, we determine that irradiance losses, in large part due to widespread smoke plumes, had a larger impact on PV energy production than high temperatures.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.