PTI Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines - Metropolitan ...

Case Study 1. PV Supporting Emergency AM Radio Transmissions
KBET Radio, with assistance from Southern California Edison and the U.S. Department of
Energy, installed a 10-kW grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system at its new station building in
Santa Clarita, 35 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. If a power outage occurs, the system will
instantly become an emergency power source for the station’s AM radio transmitter. KBET is a
key local Emergency Operations Center communications facility, providing a critical link between
police, fire, and other disaster response contacts.
Benefits of Renewable Energy to Key Assets
Key assets that can benefit from the use of renewable energy technologies include “911” call centers, airports,
emergency shelters, hospitals, first responder facilities (Emergency Operations Centers), water supply, and
telecommunications infrastructure. Many cities are exploring renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics
for replacing or complementing traditional backup power supplies.
Solar Technology Options
Using solar power to produce electricity is not the same as using solar to produce heat. Solar thermal principles are
applied to produce hot fluids or air. Photovoltaic principles are used to produce electricity. A solar (photovoltaic, or
“PV”) panel is made of the natural element silicon, which becomes charged electrically when subjected to sunlight. 8
In all there are three major solar technology areas:
■ ■ Solar Photovoltaics: Photovoltaics are
semiconductor devices that when exposed to the sun,
create electricity. They are assembled into modules,
and then placed on buildings, on the ground, or
on parking structures. They can be tied into the
electricity grid or used off-grid to power individual
structures. There was a 40 percent increase in
electricity grid-tied PV from 2008 to 2009.
■ ■ Concentrated Solar Power (CSP): CSP uses lenses
or mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays on a small
area. Four new CSP plants were connected to the grid
in 2009, located in Hawaii, California, and Arizona.
A CSP apparatus is shown in Figure 2.
■ ■ Solar Thermal: Solar thermal technology uses the
sun—via flat plates, tubes or collectors—to heat
water to used for heating and cooling buildings, or
provide hot water to the building tenants. Markets
for solar thermal have grown each year since 2006,
with a 40 percent increase in 2008 and a 10 percent
increase in 2009. How can solar be used to cool a
Figure 2. Concentrated Solar Power
CSP in Kramer Junction, California
Photo courtesy of NREL.
8
The Solar Energy Industries Association, September 2010.
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