Spectral analytics of solar photovoltaic power output for optimal distributed energy resource utilization

This paper examines the spectral analytics of solar photovoltaic (PV) power output in order to understand its frequency content. This information is then exploited to illustrate that the different frequency components of PV generation can be consumed locally by controlling local distributed energy resources in residential/commercial buildings. The solar PV generation signal is divided into three components: high frequency (second-level), medium frequency (minute-level), and low-frequency that correlate with the solar activity. One year of solar PV power data is analyzed with 1-second resolution to find the ideal bounds for the different frequency bands. Results show that by employing intelligent control of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems, HVAC loads are able to accommodate the low and medium frequency components of the PV generation. While local energy storage systems can be used to offset the high frequency components. This demonstrates the ability to spatially-local consumption of PV generation using controllable loads so as to minimize impact on the grid, reduce size of storage devices, and increase solar PV penetration levels.