Development of New Technologies for Agricultural Loads to Participate in Renewables Integration, RTP Programs, and/or New Time of Use Rates
Development of automated controls systems and strategies for agricultural irrigation pumps.
Polaris Energy Services Inc.
Recipient
San Diego, CA
Recipient Location
40th
Senate District
77th
Assembly District
$2,863,145
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
Progress this year includes completing testing, completing the final report, and presenting at the 2020 EPIC Symposium. This research project demonstrated the ability of agricultural pumping load to respond to energy market price signals which can be used to incentivize consumption patterns that help meet California's energy policy goals. The project demonstrated the use of Polaris' platform to schedule irrigation in response to price signals and operate pumping systems through either the Polaris Pump Automation Controller or generic irrigation management systems. Results show that agricultural energy users will respond to clear price signals if they have sufficient automation and financial incentives through rates and/or programs that share the system benefits with customers. In the pilot, participants shifted two thirds of their load from the 4-9 p.m. ramp hours to other times of the day.
View Final ReportThe Issue
Participation in demand response (DR) programs by agricultural customers using irrigation pumps is largely limited to emergency/reliability programs. The potential for irrigation pumps to be managed for more frequent/regular response to dynamic DR programs appears high, but challenges remain that require additional research and demonstration. Research focusing on resolving these challenges and developing effective, replicable strategies--particularly coordinating control systems with crop and operational needs such as sand removal, reservoir charging, and crop response to variation in irrigation schedules--is needed.
Project Innovation
This project develops a smart irrigation control system that improves and expands on current remote irrigation pump switching technology. The technologies developed will provide growers with the ability to automate their preferred load control strategies in response to new time-of-use electricity rates. Beyond that basic capability, the systems facilitate automated response to utility and system operator demand response signals, enabling participation in current and future demand response and reliability programs. The system is being deployed and tested on multiple farms and multiple crop types in PG&E service territory in the Fresno area.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
For many electrical utilities, agriculture is a significant component of their peak load. Collectively there are between 160,000 and 170,000 irrigation pumps in the Central Valley. This project addresses the direct electricity cost of irrigation for agricultural customers and the indirect cost to all electricity ratepayers of procuring sufficient resources to meet marginal peak demand, integrating variable renewable energy generation, and building sufficient infrastructure to support agricultural pumping load peaks. The project developed a control system and operational strategies that can adapt to different rate designs--including dynamic and DR-program tariffs--by optimizing pumping loads across large numbers of irrigation pumps.
Affordability
The technology facilitates effective response to time of use rates and facilitates participation in demand response programs through the shifting of agricultural irrigation pumping to lower cost time or in response to program incentives, lowering customer costs as well as enabling effective implementation of programs/tariffs designed to reduce system costs and meet state policy goals.
Reliability
The technology could facilitate participation in demand response programs through the shifting of agricultural irrigation pumping to periods of surplus renewable energy, which improves system reliability by matching load to available supply and shedding loads during grid emergencies.
Key Project Members
David Meyers
Michael Hardy
Subrecipients
Moulin & Associates, Inc.
Match Partners
Polaris Energy Services Inc.
