Design Considerations for Co-Locating PV Farms Near Pipelines

As major energy companies continue to include renewable power in their portfolios, especially commercially available technologies such as PV farms, attractive parcels of land are more often being found adjacent to or even sharing pipeline rights of way (ROW). Where in previous years it was simple or effective to avoid these parcels and the engineering complexities that accompanied them, the challenges and costs of ROW acquisition are making co-located facilities - and the electrical interactions - more common, requiring consideration for potential interactions between associated systems. This paper will discuss potential AC interference, including faults, induced current, and capacitive coupling between PV farm and nearby O&G pipelines.