Solar Synthesis: A Portable Distributed Solar Simulator; Adaptability to Changing Energy Grids with Solar Photovoltaics: An Analysis of Demographically Diverse Virginia Communities 5 views

Energy firm, Dominion Energy (Dominion) is currently monitoring power grid instability and the need to expand power generation capacity due to an increase in power spikes over a short period of time caused primarily by the normal operations of data centers in the surrounding areas of Northern Virginia. Dominion is trying to determine if building new power generating facilities over the next 5-7 years is worth the overhead to the alternative which involves offload power demands to the data center companies who have the capability to supply some of their own power using distributed solar installations. The technical Capstone project comprised of a small-scale solar photovoltaic simulation monitoring system. The key component of this system, a TRIAC thyristor, which acts as a switch, was used for sensitive level changes involving household appliances and fixtures were repurposed for the simulation of the typical power consumption of a single-family household within a 24-hour period. According to engineers from Dominion Energy, the monitoring system can be scaled up to simulate the power consumption requirements of one of the many data centers in Northern Virginia. The project has the capability to replicate daily forecasted power consumption conditions and showcases the cost efficiency of a selected distributed solar installation compared to pure reliance on only the utility power grid. This information is useful for current and potential owners of distributed solar installations that may consider purchasing panels. Owners who ultimately purchase solar panels leave a lower carbon footprint, thus benefiting the environment by reducing global warming effects and air pollution. While these informational tools are practical for perspective owners wanting to purchase distributed solar, it is also important to recognize that not all individuals or businesses have the means to do so. To investigate why this might be the case, the STS project analyses how demographics play a role in determining the concentration of solar installation (utility-scale and distributed) in a given area. Three demographically different counties in Virginia ranging from urban to rural, were assessed on their current state of solar installation concentrations. The STS framework used to conduct this analysis was called “technological momentum” and was published by Thomas Hughes who worked on early 20th century fossil fuel power grids in Western nations to determine the state of their development relative to other nations of that time. Methods used to aggregate data from sources were a combination of meta and document analysis taken from national utility energy surveys, statewide solar installation surveys, relevant local ordinances, state laws, and individual online testimonials. From the results, all three counties showed different levels of technological momentum with the proliferation of solar installations. Since utility companies overwhelmingly provide most of the large-scale solar infrastructure, the criteria for whether each county had significant momentum or little to none was weighted heavily based on the survey data for the utilities that serviced each county. Fairfax County had the most momentum primarily because of the overwhelming magnitude of power demands serviced in the areas via utility-scale solar installations by energy giant Dominion and had numerous solar outreach programs to foster widespread solar installations. Conversely, Highland County, the most rural country in Virginia, had very little momentum because of low density of residents serviced by utilities and lack of solar-based programs brought by the local government and educational institutions. Finally, Albemarle County showed some momentum as there are utilities that provide power based off solar installations, albeit not as high in magnitude as Fairfax County and the county has similar programs and initiatives to encourage usage of distributed solar. Overall, the culmination of both projects shows the development of solar installations from technical and sociotechnical lenses that play a bigger role in shaping the energy grid system across the state of Virginia as power demands increase. Scaling back even further, this transformation of Virginia’s energy grid to solar and other renewable energy sources contributes to the global scope of fighting climate change and reducing/eliminating the use of fossil fuels.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

solar installations; demographics; Dominion Energy; Virginia

School of Engineering and Applied Science Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technical Advisor: Keith Williams STS Advisor: Rider Foley Technical Team Members: Evan DiCosmo, Korban Thepsoumane, Andrew Zurita

English

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2026-05-05