Feasibility Study of Energy Storage Technologies for Remote Microgrid’s Energy Management System

Energy storage systems (ESSs) play a significant role in remote microgrids energy management system (EMS) with the large penetration rate of renewable energy which is intermittent in nature. Energy storage improves system reliability and efficiency in remote microgrids by optimizing the power demand and generation to reduce operational costs. Moreover, it increases the dispatch ability of the energy sources in remote microgrid systems. Lead acid battery (PbA) can be used as an energy storage device in remote microgrids due to its low cost; however, the response rate, short life cycle, and depth of discharge (DoD) lead to high operational costs. Ultracapacitor has a considerably longer life cycle, its energy density is low, and the initial cost is very high. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) and hybrid ion batteries may have comparatively better economical prospects in terms of DoD, life cycle, and operational cost. In this thesis, different energy storage technologies are considered for remote microgrids energy management systems. In addition, the Schiffer weighted Ah throughput model introduces two weight factors to describe that a battery degrades faster in real time operation than the standard test conditions due to different stress factors. These weight factors virtually increase the battery throughput, and accelerate the degradation. To mitigate this problem, different periodical and auto cycling strategies were investigated in this thesis. However, the results demonstrated that frequent full charging prevents the battery from over degradation. Auto cycling strategy was found more cost effective than the periodical cycling. Applying this cycling strategy, the yearly total operational cost of a microgrid system with a 142 kWh PbA battery bank was reduced by 0.62% ($826). Results also showed that the wear cost is an important factor to consider while designing the energy management system. Li-ion and hybrid-ion batteries had lower wear costs and showed great potentiality, although the EMS with a Li-ion battery was found to be 2.55% more cost effective and 1.5% more fuel efficient than hybrid ion batteries. The reduction in operational cost ensures the access to low cost electricity for the people in remote areas. It will accelerate the development of industries, communications, technologies, and the standard of living including the remote health clinics in those areas. Furthermore, the reduction in generators fuel consumption will reduce CO2 emission which will lower the global warming and the greenhouse effect. In this thesis, one of the objectives was to prolong the battery lifetime by preventing the degradation, that may lower the number of yearly battery disposals which are hazardous to the human health and the environment

Energy Management Control for Multimode Microgrid Renewable Integration

The need for storing energy has grown in correlation with the need for renewable and distributed energy resources. Designing a storage unit system which complements the distributed generation is required for increased efficiency and reducing the burden on the utility grid. The energy storage model used in this thesis is the Li-ion battery which is efficient, has high energy density and has applications in field of electronics, transportation and electric power industry. The wind turbine generator, photovoltaic (PV) and the energy storage unit modeled in this work share a symbiotic relationship even though they are completely separate entities which can be connected at separate locations. This study contributes better control as well as ease of connection to the system. To show the effect of storage unit on microgrid distribution system two test systems were considered, standalone system and standard IEEE 13 node feeder system with wind turbine generator and photovoltaic panel. The integration and control of energy storage system is achieved using a battery energy management control (BEMC) at the upper level and a real/reactive power controlled voltage source converter at the lower level. To enhance the control, optimization is performed where the proportional gain and the integral time constant of the PI controller are optimized using genetic algorithm which reduces the losses and increases the efficiency of the system. The results show that the battery energy management control system is effective in controlling the modes of operation of energy storage module based on the wind and solar conditions and is able to completely balance the power produced by the wind generator and PV modules. In this thesis all the test systems and the control were implemented in PSCAD as it is emerging as the new industry standard for transient power applications research

Emerging Technologies for the Energy Systems of the Future

Energy systems are transiting from conventional energy systems to modernized and smart energy systems. This Special Issue covers new advances in the emerging technologies for modern energy systems from both technical and management perspectives. In modern energy systems, an integrated and systematic view of different energy systems, from local energy systems and islands to national and multi-national energy hubs, is important. From the customer perspective, a modern energy system is required to have more intelligent appliances and smart customer services. In addition, customers require the provision of more useful information and control options. Another challenge for the energy systems of the future is the increased penetration of renewable energy sources. Hence, new operation and planning tools are required for hosting renewable energy sources as much as possible

Análisis y gestión óptima de la demanda en sistemas eléctricos conectados a la red y en sistemas aislados basados en fuentes renovables

En esta tesis doctoral se han analizado, de forma detallada, los principales aspectos relacionados con el funcionamiento de los sistemas eléctricos aislados y conectados a la red eléctrica basados en fuentes de energía renovable. En lo referente al análisis de los sistemas aislados de la red eléctrica, se ha analizado el efecto de la eficiencia culómbica y del regulador de carga en la fiabilidad de los sistemas eólicos con baterías. También se ha tratado la estimación de las horas de operación, consumo de combustible y coste neto actualizado de los sistemas que utilizan como respaldo un generador convencional. Por otra lado, se ha desarrollado un modelo probabilístico que permite considerar la incertidumbre existente en la estimación de la vida del banco de baterías, la incertidumbre asociada a los precios del combustible, la producción del generador fotovoltaico, el perfil típico de carga, así como la variabilidad de los recursos eólico y solar. Además, teniendo en cuenta la importancia que tiene el uso racional de la energía eléctrica, en esta tesis se ha desarrollado una novedosa técnica para la gestión de la demanda de sistemas aislados de la red eléctrica que sugiere al usuario del mismo el mejor momento para hacer uso de sus electrodomésticos, reduciendo el consumo de combustible y mejorando el uso de la energía almacenada en el banco de baterías. Finalmente, considerando sistemas conectados a la red eléctrica, se ha desarrollado una estrategia de Adaptación de la Demanda para consumidores residenciales que, haciendo uso de las capacidades de comunicación de la futura Red Eléctrica Inteligente, determina mediante la optimización de la negociación entre el usuario y la empresa de distribución de energía eléctrica, la forma en que el consumidor debe utilizar sus electrodomésticos considerando sus preferencias y su poder adquisitivo. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren importantes mejoras en los modelos que se utilizan habitualmente en la simulación y optimización de sistemas híbridos, específicamente en la consideración del regulador de carga como un importante elemento del sistema, y en la estimación de la vida útil del banco de baterías. Además, las estrategias para la gestión de la demanda, presentadas en este trabajo de investigación, pueden ayudar a que los usuarios de sistemas aislados o conectados a la red eléctrica realicen un uso eficiente de las fuentes de energía locales, y adapten sus patrones de consumo de electricidad a su condición económica actual

Wind Power

This book is the result of inspirations and contributions from many researchers of different fields. A wide verity of research results are merged together to make this book useful for students and researchers who will take contribution for further development of the existing technology. I hope you will enjoy the book, so that my effort to bringing it together for you will be successful. In my capacity, as the Editor of this book, I would like to thanks and appreciate the chapter authors, who ensured the quality of the material as well as submitting their best works. Most of the results presented in to the book have already been published on international journals and appreciated in many international conferences

Emerging technologies for the energy systems of the future

The way the world gets its energy is undergoing a rapid transition, driven by both the increased urgency of decarbonizing energy systems and the plummeting costs of renewable energy technologies. The road to the future will not be easy, and indeed, new technologies, markets, architectures, infrastructures, actors, and business models should be developed, and major changes will be required in the regulation of the energy systems to further support new business models and new consumption patterns. Such a transition requires rethinking every single aspect of energy systems, starting from the way energy is produced and harvested to the way that we dispatch and use it. In this area, it is also imperative to understand how to control and manage existing and emerging technologies to enhance the energy economy and efficiency by active participation in different services required by energy networks