Background, Goals and Objectives

The Commonwealth Biogas/PV Mini-Grid Renewable Resource RD&D Program was developed in response to an Energy Commission PIER solicitation. This Program will focus on advancing the commercialization of various biogas processing and conversion technologies and building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) technology through technological advancements. In addition, the Program will employ a demonstration and deployment strategy that is optimized around realizing the economic benefits which can accrue from combined peaking and baseload/intermediate renewable resources, all developed within a local region of the electric grid (i.e., mini-grid area).

The overall goals of the Commonwealth Biogas/PV Mini-Grid Renewable Resource Program are:

• To develop and implement an approach for tailoring resource development to the specific needs and resources of local areas, or mini-grids;
• To develop means of increasing landfill gas production, accelerating biodegradation and decreasing landfill generation lifecycle costs;
• To improve the affordability of renewable energy produced from digester gas at sewage treatment plants;
• To improve the economics of producing energy from animal waste;
• To demonstrate the potential for the use of advanced gasification processes to reduce the cost of residual or sludge disposal;
• To demonstrate the use of proper systems integration to enhance the performance of photovoltaic systems;
• To demonstrate and update the application of a performance evaluation rating system for building integrated systems; and to improve the transfer of this information on system and module performance to consumers and the supply channel stakeholders; and
• To illustrate the potential for demonstration applications that add substantial value to building integrated PV technology, and simultaneously take advantage of economies of scale by installing larger PV systems under various targeted arrangements (i.e., dual/tri-use facilities, common ownership and ESP power purchase/billing, PV/Biogas hybrid facilities, DC direct drive applications, etc).

Within the context of these general goals, the program will be structured to meet a variety of specific technical and economic objectives.

The kick-off meeting for the Commonwealth Program was held in Sacramento California on May 29, 2002. The key deliverables for this program are as follows:

• Resource assessment of a localized minigrid area within Southern California,
• Power flow analysis assessing the electric grid impacts of the renewable generation market potential within the minigrid over a 5 and 10 year horizon,
• Preparation of a measurment and evaluation plan for the entire program,
• Development of a bioreactor landfill demonstration pilot involving the optimization of waste characteristics,
• Development of an enhanced energy recovery pilot utilizing optimized digester gas production through thermal hydrolysis and ultrasound processes,
• Development of an advanced dairy waste to energy pilot based on an assessment and evaluation of available technologies,
• Installation, monitoring and evaluation of a variety of small and large building integrated PV systems and technologies and the development of a rating, selection and design manual for manufacturers, system integrators, and consumers,
• Development of a variety of BI-PV systems on public facilities, each addressing a specific infrastructure or commercialization barrier.

A unique element to the Program is the creation of a Renewable Program Advisory Committee (RPAC) and several Technical Advisory Committees (TAC). The RPAC will provide strategic guidance to the program team, review and evaluate current and future deliverables for functionality, provide suggestions and recommendations for needed adjustments or enhancements to deliverables, provide guidance in research direction, evaluate tangible benefits to California, and make recommendations regarding information dissemination and commercialization strategies relevant to the research products. The RPAC will be composed of diverse professionals with program development and implementation experience as well as technical expertise relating to the technologies addressed by the program. The individual TACs will provide project specific guidance and recommendations and will be composed of individuals with specific technical expertise associated with the project the TACs were created to support.