Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, the Leaptran project team has successfully engaged managers and leaders at multiple electric cooperatives (co-ops) nationwide. We have sent proposals to initiate aggregated solar and load forecasting trials and have been particularly successful in accessing solar generation data across Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperatives (GVEC) territories. Leaptran has consistently demonstrated aggregated solar forecasting for 7 transmission solar sites to CPS Energy, with a total solar forecasting capacity of approximately 500 MW across the State of Texas. Additionally, we have conducted large-scale solar forecasting trials for a significant electricity provider, covering its 5 solar sites located in Texas, California, Minnesota, Georgia, and Oregon. Leaptran also attended TechAdvantage 2024, the premier event for technology professionals in the electric cooperative industry. At the event, we had an exhibit booth to demonstrate our technology solutions to the co-op audience. Furthermore, Leaptran was invited to the Solar Forecasting Workshop hosted by the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, DC, in July 2024. During the workshop, we had the opportunity to present our award-winning forecasting results to utility companies, Independent System Operators (ISOs), and SETO's program managers. Changes/Problems:There have been no major changes or problems with Leaptran's proposed approach, which has successfully engaged more utilities in the first year of Phase II research. Leaptran is currently working closely with Larta advisors and consultants to recruit additional co-ops for solution trials. We have also hired a full-time data engineer to strengthen the Leaptran team and plan to hire more data scientists, software engineers, and other specialists in the second year of Phase II. As we have allocated more IT resources to handle large data sets, we may request a slight budget modification to increase the supply budget. Additionally, we plan to increase domestic travel to facilitate meetings with co-ops outside of Texas. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Leaptran supported Arizona State University (ASU) in hosting a one-day, in-person workshop on the solar applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The workshop focused on utilizing AI methods for utility-scale solar PV system anomaly detection and optimizing predictive maintenance. Technology readiness and commercialization were also discussed with various utility industry partners and a program manager from the Department of Energy (DOE). As a result of the workshop, Leaptran has been able to provide curriculum practical training (CPT) for a PhD candidate at ASU. The internship offered to the student aims to help them understand the challenges of solar and load forecasting in a changing and dynamic electricity market, contributing to grid resiliency and modernization. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Leaptran has disseminated the results of the USDA/NIFA SBIR Phase II research to electric cooperatives (co-ops) and public-owned utilities (POUs) primarily by attending and exhibiting at TechAdvantage 2024. Following this exhibition, Leaptran engaged with interested visitors to propose ASF trials. Further follow-up will be needed to develop mutually beneficial case studies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. Leaptran team plans to continue discussions with existing co-op partners to provide accurate forecasting results for their operations. Key activities for the second year of Phase II include periodic results reviews, data integration discussions, change management, and addressing unmet needs. 2. Leaptran team will also work on expanding its user base to co-ops outside the state of Texas. This effort has always been challenging due to the data integration and digitalization difficulties faced by co-ops. We plan to visit these co-ops in person to better understand their challenges in the second year of Phase II.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. The Leaptran team has achieved significant success by accessing solar generation data from 123 feeders, compared to just one feeder in Phase I. This milestone allows Leaptran to ingest large datasets automatically. Moreover, the data can be compiled and processed to provide aggregated solar forecasting results, enabling utilities to integrate 7-day ahead forecasts into their market operations and planning. 2. Leaptran has also delivered a daily net load forecasting solution for 14 days ahead to co-ops. This service has been successfully provided through API data access to the customer's back-end systems. This solution is near-commercially ready and is still under review to meet the specific needs and requirements of customers and co-ops.

Publications