UQ at the forefront of solar PV research Thursday, 28 July 2016

The University of Queensland (UQ) is at the forefront of critical solar photovoltaic (PV) research, housing the largest university-based solar PV research facility in the Southern Hemisphere at its Gatton campus.

From a research perspective, UQ is well-positioned to progress the knowledge of large-scale PV integration using a 3.3 MW solar PV plant, funded by the Federal Government, at its agricultural campus at Gatton.

UQ Professor of Electrical Engineering and Leader of Power and Energy Systems Research Group Professor Tapan Kumar Saha FIEAust CPEng NER said that the research facility has made a number of significant discoveries, including those particularly relevant to Queensland.

“Based on comprehensive data analysis from the St. Lucia plant, we have found Brisbane PV panels should be angled at 26 degrees, facing true north to achieve optimum solar panel performance,” Professor Saha said. “In addition to supplying the Gatton campus with renewable energy, a substantial amount of surplus PV power is exported to the 11kV distribution network operated by Energex, providing a real opportunity to investigate PV impacts on medium voltage distribution networks caused by reverse power flow and develop and test mitigating strategies.”

The first UQ solar facility was built in 2011 with a 1.22 MW solar system at St Lucia, and since then it has continued to grow with now more than 5 MW solar PV generation across its campuses at Gatton and St Lucia and associated research facilities, battery storage and a state-of-the-art power system laboratory.

Engineers Australia Queensland Electrical Branch Chair and Electrical College Board Deputy Chair Mark Lendich FIEAust CPEng NER said that the kind of research carried out by institutions like UQ is vital for the development of solar power as the primary renewable energy source in Queensland and Australia.

“The connection of solar generation into the traditional electricity grid brings with it considerable technical challenges that need to be evaluated and overcome,” Mr Lendich said. “Engineering research at learned institutions such as the University of Queensland is critical to assist the electricity industry seamlessly deploy large-scale solar.”

The Gatton PV facility also provides the capacity to learn about coordinated control with a mix of traditional and emerging technologies and the rare opportunity to investigate the performance and economics of PV tracking technologies in the Australian context.

“Nearing completion is a state-of-the-art renewable energy research laboratory consisting of a power amplifier based grid simulator, PV simulator, battery simulator-cum-charge controller, lithium-ion battery, STATCOM, standard market available three and single phase residential scale inverters,” Professor Saha said.

With this combination of live solar PV system, cutting-edge laboratory facilities, driven by a cohort of qualified researchers, including Simon Bartlett FIEAust CPEng NER, Dr Jan E Alam and Dr Ruifeng Yan, UQ is positioned to advance global knowledge of solar PV systems through in-house research and national and international collaborations with industry and other PV researchers.

 

Image: Solar farm at the University of Queensland’s Gatton agricultural campus. Courtesy of the University of Queensland.