Dairy Cooling Fan Controller Project

The purpose of this DCFC Field Monitoring Assessment is to confirm the annual energy use and savings resulting from the DCFC technology assessed in Tulare County, California. The results of the study will help inform SCE Energy Efficiency (EE), Demand Response (DR), and Self-Generation (SG) program offerings. Alignment with Statewide Goals This field assessment aligns with several statewide goals and regulatory and policy compliance mandates, including AB 32, AB 793, and AB 802. The DCFC technology solar component enables using clean, renewable energy instead of grid power during daylight hours. The technology can also achieve energy savings during evening hours, as each dairy pen fan is controlled individually. Control strategies are based on a Temperature Humidity Index (THI) sensor and Variable-Frequency Drive (VFD) controls. These control strategies allow energy savings over existing baseline conditions. Lastly, the project aligns with AB 793, because AB 793 is focused on an energy management tool that helps customers better understand and use their energy. Project Goal The goal of this project was to conduct a field assessment of a new DCFC paired with solar panels. The project aimed to 1) document upstream and downstream electric system impacts from the point of technology adoption, and 2) enabling a holistic understanding of how the technology solution proposed to drive customer actions that affected SCE’s electric system. Field Assessment Scope and Technology Description The project assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the DCFC technology in reducing energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh), peak demand in kilowatts (kW), inrush current, and costs for California dairy farms. This field assessment aligns with SCE's electrification corporate goals because the technology is a load shifting VFD technology using solar renewable power during daylight hours, and blends and controls Air-Conditioning (A/C) motor loads (the cooling fan) during non-daylight hours. The proposed DCFC technology has the potential to increase EE and provide an opportunity for peak demand reduction and load-shifting control through DR signals. Expected Outcomes This report documents and summarizes findings from the site field demonstration. This includes documenting the electric system impact, both upstream and downstream, of the point of technology adoption, and enabling a holistic understanding of how customer actions affect SCE’s electric system. Additionally, this report captured overall benefits and avoided impacts, including (but not limited to) 1) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reductions, 2) EE peak demand reductions, and 3) the solar Photovoltaic (PV) resource’s localized generation. These benefits demonstrated the customer and utility achieved energy and peak demand reduction savings, as well as economic impacts, during SCE’s new Time-of-Use (TOU) periods. Project Findings Based on preliminary estimates, there are approximately 15,000 fans on dairy farms within SCE’s service territory, amounting to 38.8 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy use and 18 megawatts (MW) of peak demand. If the DCFC technology successfully replaced all 15,000 fans, the gross estimated annual electric savings would amount to over 9.5 million kWh (9,510 MWh) in annual energy savings, with no peak demand savings. SCE’s 2019 Sustainability Report estimates approximately 534 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted for every MWh of electricity delivered through SCE’s generation mix. If all 15,000 baseline fans were replaced with DCFC fans, this would avoid 5.08 million pounds of GHG emission, or 2,304 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e).