California Energy Commission Visits OCC to Exam the OCC-Peak Load Reduction Capability.

CEC Program Manager Michael Lozano visited OCC. During his visit, the OCC team demonstrated the OCC-Peak Load Reduction (PLR) system using the OCC four-quadrant Module. The OCC-PLR is a must for grid support or customer rate reduction. Mr. Lozano was pleased about the progress.

Grid Problems:
• Facility owners face utility penalties for high peak load
• Power demand exceeds the transformer capacity
• Fast load transient causes voltage flicker and sag
• Intermittency of renewables causes grid voltage transient and must be curtailed
• High demand causes voltage collapse and large area blackout

OCC Solution:
• Shave peak load to avoid high peak penalties
• Reduce peak demand to free up transformer capacity
• Regulate load transients to maintain high power quality
• Stabilize the grid against intermittency to increase renewable penetration
• Support voltage, regulate frequency, prevent blackouts, and protect the power grid and customers

Following SCE data shows peak power is very high when OCC-PLR is off. The peak power is shaved flat when OCC-PLR is on:

SCE data: 6/10/2011-7/3/2011

SCE data: 7/4/2011-7/10/2011