The duck curve is a term that describes the shape of the network electricity demand curve, when there is a high level of solar power pushed onto the grid. The network demand is the total power demand minus the solar and wind generation. The duck curve shows that the net demand is low during the day when solar power is abundant, but rises sharply in the evening when solar power drops and demand peaks. This creates a challenge for grid operators, who have to balance the supply and demand by ramping up other sources of power, such as fossil fuels or hydroelectricity.
One possible way to mitigate the duck curve problem is to change the array placement of solar panels, so that they can capture more sunlight in the morning and evening, and less at midday. This would reduce the over-generation of solar power at noon, and increase the generation during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods.
Some studies have suggested that tilting the solar panels to the west, or using tracking systems that follow the sun, could help flatten the duck curve. However, this solution may may not be feasible or cost-effective in all locations. Therefore, other solutions, such as energy storage, demand response, and grid integration, may also be needed to address the duck curve challenges.
Without any form of energy storage, after times of high solar generation, power companies must rapidly increase other forms of power generation around the time of sunset to compensate for the loss of solar generation, a major concern for grid operators where there is rapid growth of photovoltaics.
Storage such as dammed hydropower can help fix these issues if it can be implemented. Short term use batteries, at a large enough scale of use, can also help to flatten the duck curve and prevent generator fluctuation and can help to maintain voltage profile of the grid.
Methods for coping with the rapid increase in demand at sunset reflected in the duck curve, which becomes more serious as the installation of solar generation grows, include:
- Installing more dispatchable generation
- Orienting some solar collectors toward the west to maximize generation near sunset.[12] We have covered this here.
- Energy storage including:
- Pumped-storage hydroelectricity
- Battery storage power stations These can be collocated with solar power plants that are designed with DC capacity above their AC rating,[13] or at other suitable sites, including old fossil fuel plants so as to utilize their existing transmission infrastructure (e.g. the Moss Landing Power Plant).
- Solar thermal energy with thermal energy storage
- Ice storage air conditioning
- Use of batteries in electric vehicles for temporary storage (vehicle-to-grid)
- Power-to-X, storing surplus electricity production in chemical form, e.g. hydrogen
- Green hydrogen production from water during the peak hours of Solar production.
- Energy demand management, including:
- Time-of-use pricing (TOU) and real-time pricing
- Smart grid technologies
- Electric power transmission from the west where the sun is shining later, to the east where the sun is low or already set.
HOME Ducking:
Bit of a odd term, but homes have a duck curve, and for the most part older solar installations really did make the most of this with the solar FIT system and payments. Large solar systems produce power mostly in the day, when your not using the power. if you have FIT then you were pretty well paid, SEG on the other hand is not. but with Octopus Energy offers various plans and tariffs for customers who use or generate renewable energy. The amount that Octopus Energy pays for energy depends on several factors, such as, plan and time of day as well as the wholesale market price and grid demand.
Getting paid for your export, well is another matter as you could pay more for your imports, this making a false economy. The Zero Export function of inverters, will mean that your power is not exported, you are not paid, but it does mean that you either use the power you make, or store it.
Having a battery (ESS) [energy storage solution] means that you keep what you make and use it later. when the battery is full the inverter lowers production to cover the homes load and no more.
Some smart people take advantage of the defective grid system, they have large storage batteries which are charged at cheap rate or free period (and even paid periods) then sell the power back to the grid at peak times. I should write a guide on how you can do this.. but if you buy at 4 p kWh, and sell at 44p kWh well the math is simple, 40pence per kWh and if you have 40kWh of storage that’s £16.00 in your pocket, but if your filling up on solar, then its a bit more. You are likely to make around £4,400 per year, and with our large battery (15Kwh) you should break even in the first year. or there is a low cost higher profit option.. check out the blog for more information.
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