The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a research and development organization related to the generation, delivery, and use of electricity, announced that it has received a $ 2 million contract from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to investigate how information about solar energy is available is spreading among consumers.
The DOE Office of Solar Energy Technologies (SETO) selected EPRI to study how residential and commercial customers are making decisions related to the co-adoption of solar energy with other technologies such as energy storage and electric vehicles. This research will help utility companies determine future grid needs.
In collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the DOE and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, EPRI will evaluate the preferences, influences and decisions of private and business customers for the joint introduction of solar photovoltaics with energy storage and electric vehicles. The interaction of these three DER (Distributed Energy Resource) technologies can offer consumers and companies new flexibility in the use of energy. Without a clearer understanding of customer motivations for owning and operating multiple DERs, utilities may not be able to fully anticipate and prepare for the network impact of DER co-adoption.
"With this research, EPRI will understand customer preferences, motivations and barriers to DER co-adoption and communicate with utility companies," said Rob Chapman, EPRI senior vice president of energy and customer solutions. "Understanding these behaviors will better prepare the electronics industry as consumers and utilities work toward a clean energy future."
EPRI was selected as part of the SETO funding program for fiscal year 2020 to advance research and development projects aimed at lowering solar power costs, increasing the competitiveness of US solar manufacturing and companies, improving the reliability and resilience of the grid You solar on new applications. EPRI is one of several projects exploring how the flow of solar information can lower the non-hardware costs of solar energy. By looking for ways to efficiently provide knowledge for key stakeholder decisions, decisions can be made faster and more effectively.
EPRI started this three-year project to determine customer preferences for the co-introduction. To learn more about EPRI's solar research, click here.
PhotÖ by the natural course of things is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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