Whole System Impacts and Socio-economics of wide scale PV integration (WISE PV)

This project is associated with the EPSRC Solar Energy Hub. It sets out the scientific, technical and socio-economic grand challenge of wide scale integration of photovoltaic systems (PV) into electric power systems with particular focus on the UK. This challenge is interdisciplinary and the research required to address it requires a range of interdisciplinary skills. The academic team comprises internationally recognised experts in electrical power systems, social sciences, environmental and techno-economic assessment, PV materials and devices from the Universities of Manchester, Sheffield, Loughborough and Oxford Brookes.
Solar PV plays a modest role in the UK Pathways to 2050 articulated by DECC. Although the Government's feed-in tariff programme has led to a total PV installed capacity (for up to 50kW installations) exceeding 1.2GW, equivalent to 1.6% of the total installed generation capacity in Great Britain, its current trend falls short from the DECC trajectories. To enhance the role of PV this research examines the UK electricity system of 2050, including generation sources and networks, in which solar PV is assumed to play a significant role. It aims to investigate the drivers and opportunities to facilitate an increase in the role of solar energy in the UK energy futures. It will develop a range of future energy scenarios out to 2050. The energy scenarios will be informed and driven by PV stakeholders' (customers, developers, policy advisors, material scientists) perceptions and perspectives of solar PV as a serious player in energy supply in the UK. The proposal also has a wider interest in solar PV on a global scale with particular focus on the role that UK industry could play in providing innovative PV technologies to lead global uptake of solar PV. In the move to decarbonise electricity supply globally, it is likely that more and more reliance will have to be placed on renewable energy sources, with solar PV playing a major role. Harnessing this ubiquitous resource in a manner that ensures it delivers carbon savings in a cost-effective and efficient manner remains one of the key challenges to its widespread adoption as a serious contender in global energy supply.
This project will evaluate with key stakeholders their vision of the "PV future", and via the construction of potential future PV scenarios, will result in a comparative analysis of the impacts and benefits of these futures, taking into account:
(i) The greenhouse gas savings and wider environmental impacts of the PV implementation
(ii) Life cycle assessment of costs of implementation from the perspective of different stakeholders such as utilities, government, users
(iii) The infrastructure and energy systems implications of implementation
(iv) The socio-economic impacts of implementation, including on fuel poverty, job creation etc
We propose the investigation and articulation of the changes in power system design and operation to accommodate wide scale penetration of PV.
This project aims to maximize the contribution of PV to UK renewable energy and carbon reduction targets by strategically assessing the systems level challenges that are encountered with adventurous levels of PV penetration in the UK energy system. The expertise of the group will evaluate the challenges: (i) for the electrical system (ii) for material/resource availability (iii) of cost reduction (iv) of maximizing life-cycle carbon reductions (v) of delivering social benefits
The work will therefore go beyond the idea of optimizing to make solar energy more cost competitive; considering instead the whole-life cycle sustainability (economic, environmental and social) of different PV options, how they could be accommodated in the evolving UK energy system and identifying relevant barriers and obstacles at an early stage. This requires engagement with scientists in the hub, DNO's, regulators and manufacturers, but also with existing and potential PV users.

The WISE PV RESNET project has been designed to explore the wide scale integration of PV systems into the UK electricity networks, synthesizing in a holistic way the costs and benefits of possible PV scenarios from a system perspective including technical, environmental, economic and social aspects. In addition, there are a number of potential routes via which the "PV contribution" could be realised, depending on evolving policy, market, technical, and societal landscapes. Thus, informed and effective decision making is vitally important in developing a low carbon future that optimises the contribution of PV properly taking into account benefits and impacts. Providing methods that help the integration of low carbon electricity generation will provide a wide public benefit, helping to achieve challenging climate change objectives. A reliable, low carbon electricity supply underpins GB's economic and social well being, from the provision of basic heating and lighting to powering transport systems, manufacturing capability and the delivery of essential services such as health, safety and security. One of the core objectives of the research programme is to identify major barriers or concerns that would prevent sustainable large scale deployment, and develop scientific, engineering and policy responses to those concerns to guide future PV development. This will involve overcoming major engineering as well as scientific challenges and will have a significant impact on future large scale deployment of PV. This benefits the economy in two ways, firstly through the potential for increasing deployment of PV in domestic markets and secondly by supporting the productivity of the GB economy by the provision of a reliable and predictable electricity supply. The project has been designed in collaboration with research beneficiaries including National Grid, Electricity NorthWest and Scottish Power. We will be seeking input from these, and other organisations, to ensure we maximise our impact and have allocated £2.5k to support this activity. The development and characterisation of scenarios of future PV deployment will be undertaken in collaboration with stakeholders; co-producing knowledge to inform recommendations on institutional responses. In addition to involving end-users in the research itself, the project will maintain a website detailing the objectives and outputs of the project; publish a report based on the findings of each work package for wide dissemination and organise public lectures and conduct dissemination seminars during the research program. We shall maximise impact through mobilising the Tyndall Centre stakeholder network to disseminate outcomes to a wide array of scientists, policy makers and practitioners and work with the Solar Hub to engage with the wider PV industry. Given the new understanding and tools that the WISE PV project will provide, our collaborating organisations will be in an unprecedented position to understand the wide-scale integration of PV within electricity networks. Many UK utility owners and consultancies have major international businesses, so the work has the potential to contribute to their competitiveness overseas.