Mohammed Mustafa Hussain, a computer science graduate student, runs a power grid simulation at the WVU Engineering Research Building, one of the sites where Anurag Srivastava, professor and chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, will research the integration of solar power into the electrical grid.
(WVU Photo/Brian Persinger)
The launch of a partnership between West Virginia University engineers and the nonprofit and utility sectors could bring the region one step closer to integrating solar-generated power into the electrical grid.
Anurag Srivastava, professor and chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, will support the construction and analysis of a “solar testbed” at the I-79 Technology Park in Fairmont. The testbed has been selected for a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, pending approval and finalization of award negotiations, with land donated by the High Technology Foundation and in collaboration with utility company First Energy.
The High Technology Foundation, developer of the I-79 Technology Park, is moving the park towards carbon-neutral operations in response to a growing demand from its knowledge-sector tenants.
The solar energy produced at the small-scale testbed site will enable Srivastava to study questions related to battery storage, grid integration and cybersecurity of solar power.
Solar panels most commonly generate solar energy using photovoltaic cells, which create electrical charges when sunlight hits them. Currently, solar-generated electricity can power the individual buildings where some of these panels are installed. Researchers like Srivastava are working to improve storage for solar power and “how the flow of solar energy into the main electrical grid impacts the system,” he said.
With the solar power generated by the High Technology Foundation’s 1-megawatt testbed and by multiple other solar initiatives launching around the region, Srivastava estimated 50 MWs of solar energy could be integrated into West Virginia’s power grid over the next several years, enabling his team to “get a unique before-and-after perspective” on power grid performance once solar power joins other current sources of electricity for the grid, such as coal and natural gas.
Srivastava, the technical lead for the study, will assess the performance of components such as panels, sensors and batteries, while developing machine learning algorithms that can help a solar-connected grid defend against attacks or natural disasters.
Statler College Professor Parviz Famouri, Teaching Associate Professor Jignesh Solanki and Associate Professor Sarika Khushalani Solanki will support the technical analysis.
The West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 583, creating a state solar utility program, in 2020; but the state still lags compared to sunshine-rich places like California, Texas and Florida when it comes to adoption of both industrial-scale solar power and home solar systems like rooftop panels.
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