The sun could be the world’s largest source of electricity by 2050, predicts the International Energy Agency (IEA), with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems generating up to 16 percent of the world’s electricity, ahead of traditional power sources such as nuclear, hydro and fossil fuels.
There are now over 22,700 MW of cumulative solar electric capacity operating in the U.S., and about 20,000 MW of solar capacity are anticipated to be online in next two years (source: http://www.seia.org)
In 2015, a new solar project was installed every 2 minutes in the U.S.
High penetration of PV systems significantly challenges power supply reliability and stability because PV generation is highly intermittent and demands significant support from the utility grid.
Eversource Energy Center is developing new methods for effective modeling, analysis and control of power distribution grids with high renewable energy penetration. Our new technologies enable the power grid to regulate power flow and accommodate more PV and distributed sources with enhanced electricity resiliency for stakeholders.
3-D Imaging for Modernization
Laser scanners can map hundreds of thousands of point locations per second within inches of their actual locations.
Laser scanners use near-infrared light that is eye-safe and invisible to people, and can be carried on board airplanes, helicopters, drones, and automobiles, or mounted on stationary tripods.
Point clouds from air-based scanners contain up to 3 points per square foot; point clouds from ground-based systems may contain hundreds of points per square foot.
3D images contain immense amounts of data and must be processed with super computers containing many terabytes of storage space.
Emergency management agencies (i.e. Federal Emergency Management Agency) use 3-D imagery to map flood-prone areas.
Laser scanning technology is typically referred to as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).
Ground-based laser scanners have a range of up to 100 yards but range can be limited in areas of dense vegetation.
The laser beam from air-based systems are up to 2 feet across by the time they reach the ground.
