Why Bad Regulation Is to Blame for California’s Power Woes (or Why Antitrust Law Fails to Protect Against Market Power When the Market Rules Encourage Its Use)

80 p

Optimising power flow in a volatile electrical grid using a message passing algorithm

Current methods of optimal power flow were not designed to handle increasing level of volatility in the electrical networks, this thesis suggests that a message passing-based approach could be useful for managing power distribution in electricity networks. This thesis shows the adaptability of message passing algorithms and demonstrates and validates its capabilities in addressing scenarios with inherent fluctuations, in minimising load shedding and generation costs, and in limiting voltages. Results are promising but more work is needed for this to be practical to real networks

Microload Management in Generation Constrained Power Systems

The reasons for power systems' outages can be complicated and difficult to pinpoint, but an obvious shortfall in generation compared to electricity demand has been identified as the major cause of load shedding in generation constrained power systems. A sudden rise in demand for electricity on these networks at any time could result in a total collapse of the entire grid. Therefore, in this thesis, algorithms to efficiently allocate the available generation are investigated to prevent the associated hardships and lose experience by the final consumers and the electric utility suppliers, respectively. Heuristic technique is utilised by developing various dynamic programming-based algorithms to achieve the constraints of uniquely controlling home appliances to reduce the overall demands for electricity by the consumers within the grid in context. These algorithms are focused on the consumers' comfort and the associated benefits to the electricity utility company in the long run. The evaluation of the proposed approach is achieved through microload management by employing three main techniques; General Shedding (GS), Priority Based Shedding (PBS) and Excess Reuse Shedding (ERS). These techniques were evaluated using both Grouped and “UnGrouped” microloads based on how efficient the microload managed the available generation to prevent total blackouts. A progressive reduction in excess microload shedding experienced by GS, PBS, and the ERS shows the proposed algorithms' effectiveness. Further, predictive algorithms are investigated for microload forecasting towards microload management to prepare both consumers and the electric utility companies for any impending load shedding. Measuring the forecasting accuracy and the root mean square errors of the models evaluated proved the potential for microload demand prediction

Scoping study on trends in the economic value of electricity reliability to the U.S. economy

During the past three years, working with more than 150 organizations representing public and private stakeholders, EPRI has developed the Electricity Technology Roadmap. The Roadmap identifies several major strategic challenges that must be successfully addressed to ensure a sustainable future in which electricity continues to play an important role in economic growth. Articulation of these anticipated trends and challenges requires a detailed understanding of the role and importance of reliable electricity in different sectors of the economy. This report is intended to contribute to that understanding by analyzing key aspects of trends in the economic value of electricity reliability in the U.S. economy. We first present a review of recent literature on electricity reliability costs. Next, we describe three distinct end-use approaches for tracking trends in reliability needs: (1) an analysis of the electricity-use requirements of office equipment in different commercial sectors; (2) an examination of the use of aggregate statistical indicators of industrial electricity use and economic activity to identify high reliability-requirement customer market segments; and (3) a case study of cleanrooms, which is a cross-cutting market segment known to have high reliability requirements. Finally, we present insurance industry perspectives on electricity reliability as an example of a financial tool for addressing customers' reliability needs

Quantifying the challenges associated with poor electricity supply in Nigeria and the role of a hybrid PV system in addressing them

Nigeria’s poor electric power supply has grossly affected the economy, slowing down countrywide development. The ever-increasing demand for power supply coupled with its limited availability has been an impediment to her socioeconomic development. The failure to generate and distribute sufficient power has been well documented alongside the inability to realise a lasting solution that wholly addresses the problem. This thesis approached realising a solution by firstly presenting an overview of Nigeria’s energy sector in order to identify the barriers to renewable energy uptake. Some of which were high capital costs, lack of access to finance, technical ineptitude, technology paucity, limited public awareness and the lack of government policies or poor policy framework. Thereafter, the analyses of data from the multi-sectors (commercial, industrial, residential and education) realised through interviews and surveys, elicited energy cost savings, energy security and autonomy, improved quality of life, and environmental concern as the motivation for encouraging renewable energy and particularly solar-photovoltaic (PV) uptake. Building on these insights, this body of research presented a case for multi-sectoral adoption of solar-PV as an electricity supply option considering grid power supply unreliability. The technical, economic, environmental and social viability of implementing solar-PV technology were studied by working with country-specific data obtained from surveying the commercial, industrial and residential sectors in Nigeria. These sectors were surveyed to determine the extent of the countrywide power supply unreliability as well as understand the level of public awareness and the societal acceptance of solar-PV as a power generating technology. Cases studied, evidenced the socioeconomic impact of unreliable power supply in Nigeria and a solution to the power supply shortfall is also presented. Numerical simulation and quantitative analysis methods were employed in analysing data and assessing the results. Retrofits to existing petrol/diesel generator systems for the commercial and industrial sectors (C&I) delivered benefits of lower CO2 emissions, improved systems reliability and reduced grid power dependence at lower lifetime costs than existing power systems. The results from the data analyses suggest that partial to total grid defection solutions that integrate solar-PV technology could be implemented across sectors countrywide, towards improved electrification. Results present a basis for a shift from the power sector electrifying all other sectors to the multi-sectors contributing to the power sector’s effort in extending, increasing and improving countrywide electrification. This can be achieved by incentivising the uptake of hybrid photovoltaic-centric power systems (solutions deployed directly where they are needed) as well as taking advantage of the excess power generation from such systems. These solutions would need to be supported by policy and an implementable regulatory framework. This would bring about a measurable improvement in the socioeconomic status of the citizenry and the broader nation

Regenerating Dixie: Electric Energy and the Making of the Modern South

The emergence and spread of electricity profoundly shaped the “long New South.” This dissertation traces the electrification of the US South from the 1880s to the 1970s. Focusing primarily on the Atlanta-based Georgia Power Company, it emphasizes that electricity’s rise was not simply the result of technological innovation. It was a multifaceted process that deeply influenced, and was influenced by, environmental alterations, political machinations, business practices, and social and cultural matters. Although it hewed to national and global patterns in many respects, southern electrification charted a distinctive and instructive path. Its story speaks to the ways the South’s experiences with electrification shaped larger American models of energy transitions and economic development, but also the ways it wrought dramatic changes in the fabric of everyday life

Decentralised Energy Development: A study examining its potential to drive economic regeneration in the UK

Following the 2008 financial crash the UK Government, through the Local Enterprise Partnership model has been driving major economic regeneration in localised economies for high value job creation, uplifting skills and infrastructure investment. LEPs are the prime vehicles to identify and deliver their own programmes to gain increased economic growth through targeted and localised support.The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP having a below average performing business base, developed a unique “Powerhouse Central” proposal for its regeneration funding submission into Whitehall. The proposals centred on delivering decentralised energy infrastructure in the form of Stoke-on-Trent district heat network (DHN), and the Keele University Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND). The DHN and SEND are complementary projects, the DHN utilising off the shelf technology to de-risk the project and encourage private investment models to be applied to UK DHN pipeline projects, whilst the Keele SEND allows dynamic smart network technologies to be tested and trialled, both from the hardware and software perspective but also from the social interaction dimension in an idealised small town sized community.Decentralised energy using localised energy resource assets give increased levels of supply security to business, public services and residential populations something that is becoming more difficult with the existing large-scale generation system. The DHN and the SEND gives the opportunity for localised supply chain diversification providing a key element of the LEP’s economic regeneration commitments; this observational study has researched and examined drivers, conflicts and barriers to deploying the DHN and SEND projects specifically regarding the deployment of business support strategies and programmes to drive supply chain diversification and innovation into the decentralised energy opportunity. It is apparent that technology and finance are not the key barriers to decentralised energy supply chain growth but relate to the conflict and non-aligned politics pursing national and local agendas

Intelligent Circuits and Systems

ICICS-2020 is the third conference initiated by the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Lovely Professional University that explored recent innovations of researchers working for the development of smart and green technologies in the fields of Energy, Electronics, Communications, Computers, and Control. ICICS provides innovators to identify new opportunities for the social and economic benefits of society.　 This conference bridges the gap between academics and R&D institutions, social visionaries, and experts from all strata of society to present their ongoing research activities and foster research relations between them. It provides opportunities for the exchange of new ideas, applications, and experiences in the field of smart technologies and finding global partners for future collaboration. The ICICS-2020 was conducted in two broad categories, Intelligent Circuits & Intelligent Systems and Emerging Technologies in Electrical Engineering