Analysis of the value of photovoltaics for demand side management

The effectiveness of photovoltaics (PV) as a load management device is analyzed. Due to the high demand charges associated with the price of electricity during peak hours, it may be cost effective to use PV to reduce the need for utility supplied electricity during those periods. An experiment carried out at the Virginia Tech Solar Experiment Station (VTSES) to study the load management capability of roof-mounted; fixed-axis PV arrays is described. At its initial stage the experiment involves three arrays: 954 W (DC) of ARCO Solar M55 single-crystal silicon modules, 680 W (DC) of ARCO Solar G-4000 amorphous silicon modules, and 616 W (DC) of Solarex SA-20 amorphous silicon modules. These modules are mounted on the roof of a six-story building. This building has the characteristics of an office building with primarily all eight-to-five occupancy profile representing lighting, space conditioning, and office equipment load. The DC power from each of the three arrays is processed by an Omnion Series 2200 power conditioning unit.<<ETX>>