Characterizing Solar PV Output Variability and Effects on the Electric System in Florida, Initial Results

This paper shares initial results from a major collaborative project in Florida underway to study and address effects of high penetration levels of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation on the electric power system. The effort includes characterizing the variability of the solar resource in Florida, where a number of new multi-megawatt solar projects have either recently come online or are in the planning or construction stages (including the largest solar PV generating station in N. America at the time of this writing). Until now, most work on characterizing solar variability has focused on the Southwestern U.S. This paper shares initial results and insights on the variability of Solar PV generation output in Florida on different timescales and provides some preliminary insights into the implications and effects of the variability on the successful integration of increasingly higher penetration levels of solar PV, with respect to the integration technology, control systems, and the electric power system.