BP has backed a new type of flexible solar plant that can “fold out” and be built in a day. The oil company has been investing in renewable energy technology to build out flexible grid tech that can deploy a megawatt-scale plant in a day at low cost. This type of technology could help create flexible expansion for a U.S. utility grid under pressure, as well as offer unique additional value in situations that demand rapid power supply such as natural disaster relief.

 

 

5B uses a new technology called 5B Maverick, which is comprised of up to 90 PV modules on custom frames. They can be rapidly unfolded to install new solar arrays for utility-scale power generation. The company has 60 MW in place already around the world and was used by a team of 10 recently to deploy 1.1 MW in Chile in one day.

 

BP’s has focused investment in solar so far on its Lightsource BP joint venture, which BP says will explore opportunities with 5B to use its new technology. 5B CEO Chris McGrath said that collaborating with BP Ventures and the broader BP businesses offers a wealth of global commercial and operational expertise. It is a chance to deploy 5B tech across the globe. The technology essentially focuses on making it easier to deploy solar quickly, rather than on making the solar cells more efficient.

 

This is an overlooked area of improvement for solar technology that deserves its day in the sun (literally). As climate change worsens natural disasters around the world, a flexible grid is not just about reliable power through traditional grid wires, but increasingly needs to look like flexible installations of solar and wind power that can move with the need to areas of peak demand.

 

 

5B ships folded solar arrays in semi trucks to the area where the power is needed, and two crews of just three people can deploy up to 17 arrays in a single day. That’s 578 kW in one day, or the equivalent of 3 MW in a week. That’s enough power for 400 to 900 homes to use over three whole years or enough to power 60,000 to 100,000 homes for a week.

 

Often, hurricanes or similar natural disasters that damage large parts of a local grid. This puts several hundred thousand homes out of power for a week or more. Therefore, the scale of this technology could easily be deployed for this purpose, even in multiple affected areas at once.

 

Keep an eye out for technology like Maverick’s 5B where the renewable energy source is the same as other companies. However, the ability to get power where it’s needed quickly and efficiently is a game changer. This technology could be deployed to shore up the struggling Texas grid during winter storms, to help avoid blackouts during California or Colorado wildfire season and to help coastal areas recover from major hurricanes or the South and Midwest to rapidly recover after a tornado. (inhabitat via Aescol)