Dispersed power generation

Historically, power generation was heavily centralised, such as from coal-fired power plants. Transmission infrastructure was built directly from the power plant to population centres, where distribution lines continued the downstream flow of energy to individual users. With renewable sources, such as solar, power generation requires a larger footprint spread out over a more diverse area. Utility-scale power plants are not often built in the same locations as historical fossil-fuel-based power generation, so existing transmission infrastructure may not be in prime locations. For utility-scale power plants, identifying the best pathways between energy production sites and energy consumption sites is relatively manual and burdensome. This is one of the factors influencing the industry’s challenges with delayed infrastructure development and maintenance. Better use of existing infrastructure pathways is identified as a potential solution by the industry.

Users noted that mapping the location and state of existing infrastructure would help planners, O&M, and investors better understand how additional solar generation sites may need upgrades or new construction of T&D infrastructure. There are social, environmental, and political challenges to the establishment of new T&D lines that must be considered, such as zoning and licensing laws, that limit the land available for new T&D construction. Upgrading existing T&D infrastructure is often preferred.

To support the industry, satellite imagery and other geo-information data may help assess proximity of existing infrastructure and identify potential connection pathways. Users identified 3 specific needs, each requiring one or more specific geospatial products (geo-requirements):

1. User Need 1.1: Map of proposed infrastructure pathway between energy production site and energy consumption site(s)

2. User Need 1.2: Length (km) of existing T&D infrastructure requiring upgrades

3. User Need 1.3: Length (km) of new T&D infrastructure to be developed