PROJECT
SPOTLIGHT
Photovoltaic Systems Many higher education campuses are incorporating photovoltaic ( PV ) systems to increase the overall amount of renewable energy utilized and receive financial payback for giving to the grid . At P2S , we ’ re experienced in evaluating campuses to determine if a PV system is feasible , and if so , to identify the optimal areas of a campus for installation .
FEATURES
Location : Fresno , CA
Facility Type : Higher Education Campus
Services : Feasibility Study
Fresno State Microgrid Feasibility Study Fresno State was interested in whether a microgrid was feasible for its 388- acre campus which includes 175 buildings and over 20,000 students . P2S was contracted to review the existing normal and emergency electrical distribution system serving the campus , review available capacity of the various planned onsite power generation sources , review existing annual demand and generation profiles and develop options to not only improve the reliability of the existing system but form a microgrid by utilizing the planned on-site generation sources to help island the campus from the utility and retain power to the campus facilities in event of a utility power outage .
Various sites at the campus were evaluated for the feasibility of a PV system based on the ease of interconnection and financial payback for the type of system being installed . As part of the report , a 3.8MW PV system was determined to be most economical to support the campus load . The proposed PV system along with a smart switching electrical system was designed and incorporated within the microgrid system . The proposed microgrid system will compare realtime campus on-site generation and demand , implement an auto load shed scheme to shed load if demand exceeds on-site generation and adjust the output of each of the on-site generation systems to match the demand of the campus and retain power to all facilities on campus in the event of a utility power outage .
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