The cost of active network management schemes at distribution level

The growth of wind generation in distribution networks is leading to the development of Active Network Management (ANM) strategies. ANM systems aim to increase the capacity of renewable and distributed generation (DG) that can connect to the network. In addition to DG, ANM schemes can also include storage devices and Demand Side Management (DSM) strategies. Currently ANM schemes are mainly part of network research and development programmes, funded through network innovation schemes. In future, ANM schemes will need to cover the costs of establishing such a scheme through payments from the network owners and the users of the network. This paper discusses the current charging arrangements which account for network upgrades and the access arrangements for wind farms connecting to networks which are close to capacity. The Orkney ANM scheme is used as a case study, where the costs of the implemented ANM scheme are compared to conventional network upgrades. In order to run ANM as a ‘business as usual’ case, there must be a way in which to recover the costs incurred in implementing and operating an ANM scheme on the network. These costs could be recovered through Use of System (UoS) charging, and there is an opportunity for domestic customers participating in an ANM scheme (through Demand Side Management, for example) to further reduce electricity bills by providing ancillary services to the network. ANM may increase the cost of electricity for domestic customers, however this increase can be considered substantially less than the cost incurred for significant network upgrades

Wind generator behaviour in a pay-as-bid curtailment market

A pay-as-bid curtailment market, where Wind Power Plants (WPPs) may offer prices to have their output reduced in the event of network balancing or stability constraints, is one approach towards the market integration of a high proportion of wind energy onto a power system. Such a market aims to procure curtailment at a cost close to the marginal value of the electricity plus renewable subsidies and incentives, reducing risks for WPPs while minimising costs to the Independent System Operator (ISO). Through the use of game theory and market modelling, a key set of bidding strategies are identified that may evolve within such a market, which may act in opposition to the goals of the ISO. These are applied to a variety of network conditions in order to determine their likely impact and the resulting bidding signals provided to market participants. Bidding behaviours and market fluidity may also be affected by factors particular to wind power plants. Through analysis of both ex ante and ex post case studies, the existence of these behaviours is demonstrated, illustrating that a pay-as-bid curtailment market may not be efficient at price discovery in practice

An assessment of principles of access for wind generation curtailment in active network management schemes

The growth of wind generation embedded in distribution networks is leading to the development and implementation of Active Network Management (ANM) strategies. These aim to increase the capacity of Distributed Generation (DG) that can connect to a network. One such ANM strategy is generation curtailment where DG is given a non-firm connection under which the network can instruct a generator to reduce its output under specified conditions. Currently in the UK the Orkney distribution network operates a curtailment scheme for wind and other renewable generation [1]and a similar scheme is being developed for the Shetland Islands [2]. The main objective of this paper is to explore the options for Principles of Access (PoA) for curtailment of wind generation on distribution networks which employ ANM. The PoA define the commercial rules by which a DG unit obtains access to the distribution network and under an ANM curtailment scheme the PoA defines the curtailment instructions that would be sent to different DG units when network constraints occur. The scenarios studied in this paper are based on the Orkney distribution network

Oyster Shell: A Tribute to the Oregon Coast Part 2

My design scholarship is rooted in the translation of natural movement, texture and phenomena into original surface and textile design. Oyster Shell is the second in a series of garments dedicated to the natural elements found along the Oregon coastline. The aim of this project is to translate the surface design of a golden oyster shell on the beach into a garment. I chose to sculpt the body of the jacket out of Worbla’s Finest Art. Worbla is a thermoplastic material that can be shaped and adheres to itself when heated. The overall silhouette of the ridges and structure were first built up on a dressform using plastic wrap and duct tape. Once the form covered, the Worbla was sculpted directly on the form. The overall goal with the silhouette of the piece is to make the wearer appear that they are wearing an open oyster shell

E-Waste Couture

Every year millions of pieces of electronic equipment is produced and sold worldwide. The shelf life of laptops, cell phones, and televisions is becoming shorter and shorter. When these items are discarded they crowd landfills and recycling centers and become known as E-Waste (Griffin, 2014)

On Hegel, Women, and the Foundation of Ethical Life: Why Gender Doesn’t Belong in the Family.

Feminist philosophers are right to criticize Hegel’s prejudices against women. In many of his works, Hegel reduces women to their physiology as means of explaining why they occupy a subordinate role in nature and in society. Such treatment seems arbitrary at best, for the gendering of roles disrupts Hegel’s dialectical approach to spirit without any meaningful gain. Despite this defect in Hegel’s work, what is positive in Hegelian social and political philosophy remains intact. In this paper I argue that the sexist claims that Hegel makes about women are irrelevant to his theory of the family in the Philosophy of Right. Therein, Hegel outlines three components that are necessary for the completion of the family: marriage, property and assets, and the raising of children. Hegel also includes a description of the different roles occupied by family members and divides these roles along gender lines. Given the three components that are essential to the family, I argue that there is no necessary basis for familial roles to be divided by gender

What is a Family? Considerations on Purpose, Biology, and Sociality

There are many different interpretations of what the family should be – its desired member composition, its primary purpose, and its cultural significance – and many different examples of what families actually look like across the globe. I examine the most paradigmatic conceptions of the family that are based upon the supposed primary purpose that the family serves for its members and for the state. I then suggest that we ought to reconceptualize how we understand and define the family in an effort to move away from these paradigmatic conceptions. This approach requires that we examine the way(s) in which the family has been defined descriptively – that is, how families have been defined historically – in an effort to determine what a normative theory of the family might look like. The goal of this inquiry is to define a family in terms of what it ought to be – a goal that moves our understanding of the family to a new conceptual landscape. I then present my own account of familial relations that aims to capture a normative understanding of the unique primary purpose that the family serves for its members