enabling pv integration through advanced distribution resource planning

1. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
Enabling PV Integration
through Advanced
Distribution Resource Planning
EPRI / Sandia PV Symposium
Tom Russell, PE
Senior Engineer
DER Integration Team
PG&E Electric System Planning and Reliability
10 May 2016

2. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
2
PG&E Distribution System is Large and Diverse
10 May 2016
Distribution System Metrics
 Geography
 70,000 sq. miles with diverse
topography
 5.5 million electric customers
 142,000 miles of distribution lines
 770 Distribution Substations
 1,300 Substation Distribution
Transformers
 3,300 Distribution Circuit Breakers
 3,200 Distribution Feeders
 1 Million Distribution Line
Transformers
 2 Million Nodes/Line Segments
Modeled
 7,000 Line Reclosers
 150,000 Fuses
 2,300 Voltage Regulators
 12,000 Capacitor BanksProvide safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy
to 16 million Californians

3. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
3
~2,500 MW of Interconnected Distributed Generation at PG&E
10 May 2016
• PV has increased rapidly in the past
few years
• Policies driving growth of solar in
CA
1. Renewable Portfolio Standard
2. California Solar Initiative
3. Federal Tax Policy
4. Net Energy Metering
5. Residential Rate Design
• DG Penetration is about 12% of
PG&E System Peak
• Total DG has increased about 30-35
MW/month
o 71 MW in Dec 2015, largest single
month increase
• Total DG installation was at
1,900MW a year ago.
o 600 MW or 30% increase over last 12
months
o Energy storage increased by 15 MW
over the past 12 months
o Fuel Cell increased by 10 MW over the
past 12 months

4. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
4
Forecasting Growth and Geospatial Adoption of Distributed
Energy Resources
2,743
5,157
6,769
2,743
6,346
9,192
2,743
7,456
12,047
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
DER Cumulative MWs at PG&E System Peak
Scenario 1 - "Trajectory"
Scenario 2 - "High"
Scenario 3 - "Very High"
Scenario 1 Geospatial
Distribution Resource Plan DER Growth Scenarios
• Scenario 1 – Trajectory: PG&E Expected (IEPR w/adjustment for PV and EV)
• Scenario 2 – High: Policy interventions combined w/ tech./market innovations
• Scenario 3 – Very High: Aggressive policy interventions such as:
o ZEV mandate
o ZNE
o 2030 GHG emissions reduction goals
o DR at 5% Peak
10 May 2016

5. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
PG&E’s Distribution Resource Plan Vision
5
Integration
Capacity
Locational
Net Benefit
DER
Growth
• DRP will enable significant DER
integration and supports California’s
Clean Energy Vision
• PG&E’s role is essential to achieving
California’s goals for safe, clean,
affordable, reliable and resilient energy
• PG&E’s initial DRP serves as the technical
foundation for integrating DER focusing
on:
‒ Interconnection and integration efficiency
‒ Transparent locational benefits and costs
evaluation
‒ Development of short & long-term scenarios
of capacity and resource needs
‒ Effectively managing overlapping initiatives
‒ Fair and transparent processes for DER
deployment and integration
• Achieving the long term DRP vision
requires significant and coordinated
electricity pricing reform

6. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
6
Automated DG
Screening Tools
Online Map to Assist in
Locating DER
Sophisticated
Geospatial Forecasting
PG&E is investing in enhanced
planning tools and analytical
platforms to enhance engineering
efficiency and capabilities
Continuously Improving Engineering Tools and Processes
Weekly Updated
Geospatial Distribution
Power Flow Models
Smart Meter AnalyticsEnhanced GIS Tools
and Analytics
10 May 2016

7. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
7
• PG&E upgraded its planning tools
4 years ago to enhance planning
process and accuracy
• Enhanced Load Forecasting with
hourly shapes
- Load profiles for every distribution
feeder
- LoadSEER developed by Integral
Analytics
• Geospatial Distribution Feeder
Models
- Simulate power flow effects on
distribution lines granular down to
final line transformers
- CYMDIST by CYME International
• Current development project to
more tightly integrate the two
tools for more robust and efficient
analyses
Advanced Planning Tools and Data Sets Really Help
Automation and
Batch Scripting?
Absolutely!
10 May 2016

8. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
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90%
100%
110%
Hourly Profiles are Critical for Success
8
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100%
110%
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0%
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100%
January
0%
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July
• SCADA can be useful, but it’s not everywhere
• Smart Meters are useful, but it doesn’t tell the whole story
• Raw historical data is useful, but isn’t the future
• PG&E utilizes LoadSEER by Integral Analytics to provide
enhanced load shapes based on metered data and locational
variation between customer types and statistical occurrence
• This helps drives better planning and utilization of assets
• Helps understand coincidence with resources such as solar
0
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9. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
9
Granular Modeling and Automated Analysis are Key
Modeling geospatial distribution
circuits is extremely helpful
• PG&E uses CYMDIST by CYME
• Weekly updates to CYME models
• Granular modeling is critical for
planning a grid for two-way power
flow
Extracting Relevant data using
Python
• Starting to utilize the CYME Server
product to streamline batch analyses
• Python scripting is being utilized to
enrich PG&E’s engineering
capabilities for batch load flows,
hosting capacity analyses, and
automated screening of DG

10. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
10
Start Developing Methods to Evaluate DER Capacity
Development of new methodology was required in order to
calculate DER Integration Capacity
• PG&E was instructed to develop a new methodology to help
determine locational DER capacities that would not require
significant upgrades to interconnect
• Methodology was similar in nature to EPRI’s streamlined
approach
• Methodology considers important aspects considered in
detailed engineering reviews but streamlined like screening
Detailed
Interconnection
Studies
Speed
Integration
Capacity
Analysis
Fast
Track
Screens
Accuracy
Model Circuits and Load
Profiles
(e.g., Weekly Circuit Model
Update from GIS Maps,
SCADA, AMI)
Determine Level of
Granularity
(e.g., Substation, Feeder,
Line Section)
Determine Capability
of Planning Tools
(e.g., Load Profiles,
Simulations)
Extract Power Flow and
Electrical Parameters
(e.g., Load/Voltage Profiles,
Impedance, Fault Duties)
Evaluate Criteria
(e.g., Thermal, Power
Quality, Protection,
Safety/Reliability)
Publish/Utilize
ICA results
(e.g., Interconnection
Map, DER Planning)
Evaluate
Criteria
Model and
Extract Data
Establish
Granularity

11. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
11
Data Sharing will be Important for Integrated Planning Efforts
PG&E analyzed all three
phase line sections for all
the 3,000+ distribution
circuits
• Results for approx.
102,000 line sections
• Average of 34 line sections per
feeder
• Largest number of line sections for
one feeder was found to be 310
• Helps customers and
developers in locating
better locations to
interconnect
• Initially colored by PV
Results
• Exploration of new
interfaces and data
sharing techniques will
occur in DRP discussions
10 May 2016

12. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
12
• DER will play a much more active role in
distribution and system planning and allow for
more dynamic flexibility of the system
– Distributed generation and dynamic loads enable more
significant load shifting and changing patterns
– Need to be “Capacity Efficient” as well as “Energy Efficient”
and the overall complexing of the distribution system
• Provide engineers with geospatial circuit models
for enhanced and accurate simulations
– Start thinking about “hosting capacity” analyses to help
baseline DER/PV hosting ability on the grid
– These analyses can help streamline interconnection
studies
• Determining hourly load profiles are critical for
understanding distribution impacts and benefits
– PG&E with the help of Integral Analytics utilized load
research data to help build estimated profiles without full
deployment of Smart Meters and SCADA
• Data analytics, visualization, and sharing is
essential for integrated grid planning!
– Provide actionable information through analytics
– Attaching to geospatial maps can be very helpful towards
understanding local benefits and other great stuff
Source: EPRI, July 2015
Learnings and Advice for Integrated DER Planning
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
PowerDemand 10 May 2016

13. PG&E | Electric Strategy & Asset Management | DER Integration
Enabling PV Integration through Advanced Distribution Resource Planning
Thank you!
Tom Russell
TCR8@pge.com