A combined optimisation concet for the design and operation strategy of hybrid-PV energy systems

This paper presents a method to jointly determine the sizing and operation control of hybrid-PV systems. Hybrid energy systems use different energy sources such as solar and wind energy and diesel gensets. They are an economical option in areas remote from the grid. In this context the correct and cost-effective system sizing as well as efficient system operation are important. The problem becomes complicated through uncertain renewable energy supplies and load demand, non-linear characteristics of some components, and the fact that optimum operation strategies and optimum sizing of hybrid system components are interdependent. The outlined approach finds an optimum operation strategy for a hybrid system by carrying out a search through possible options for the system operation control. The search is conducted over some time period using estimated weather and demand data and long-term system component characteristics. The costing of the operating strategies is evaluated and component sizes are changed by the designed algorithm according to optimum search rules. As a result an optimum system configuration is chosen by the algorithm together with an optimum operation strategy for a given site and application requirement.     

Modelling of hybrid energy system—Part II: Combined dispatch strategies and solution algorithm

Computer simulation is an increasingly popular tool for determining the most suitable hybrid energy system type, design and control for an isolated community or a cluster of villages. This paper presents the development of the optimum control algorithm based on combined dispatch strategies, to achieve the optimal cost of battery incorporated hybrid energy system for electricity generation, during a period of time by solving the mathematical model, which was developed in Part I of this tri-series paper.The main purpose of the control system proposed here is to reduce, as much as possible, the participation of the diesel generator in the electricity generation process, taking the maximum advantage of the renewable energy resources available.The overall load dispatch scenario is controlled by the availability of renewable power, total system load demand, diesel generator operational constraints and the proper management of the battery bank. The incorporation of a battery bank makes the control operation more practical and relatively easier.     

Optimisation of real-time control for hybrid diesel–PV–battery systems

Hybrid diesel–PV–battery systems are one of the most cost effective options for off-grid power generation. A methodology for the optimal operation of such systems for an off-grid application is proposed in this paper. The methodology is based on the minimisation of an energy cost function. Based on this function, an optimal operating point for the diesel generator is identified, taking into account the characteristics of the diesel generator, battery bank and converter as well as the costs of fuel and battery usage. The operation of the diesel generator at this optimum operating point results in an overall energy cost reduction for the hybrid diesel–battery system. Simulation analysis shows that the proposed control strategy can achieve up to 4% reduction in the levelised cost of energy. This is mostly due to the savings made from the efficient usage of diesel generator and battery.     

Hybrid optimization algorithm for modeling and management of micro grid connected system

In this paper, a hybrid optimization algorithm is proposed for modeling and managing the micro grid (MG) system. The management of distributed energy sources with MG is a multi-objective problem which consists of wind turbine (WT), photovoltaic (PV) array, fuel cell (FC), micro turbine (MT) and diesel generator (DG). Because, perfect economic model of energy source of the MG units are needed to describe the operating cost of the output power generated, the objective of the hybrid model is to minimize the fuel cost of the MG sources such as FC, MT and DG. The problem formulation takes into consideration the optimal configuration of the MG at a minimum fuel cost, operation and maintenance costs as well as emissions reduction. Here, the hybrid algorithm is obtained as artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm, which is used in two stages. The first stage of the ABC gets the optimal MG configuration at a minimum fuel cost for the required load demand. From the minimized fuel cost functions, the operation and maintenance cost as well as the emission is reduced using the second stage of the ABC. The proposed method is implemented in the Matlab/Simulink platform and its effectiveness is analyzed by comparing with existing techniques. The comparison demonstrates the superiority of the proposed approach and confirms its potential to solve the problem.     

Wind-diesel hybrid power system integration in the south Algeria

In most isolated sites situated in south Algeria, the diesel generators are the major source of electrical energy. Indeed, the power supply of these remote regions still poses order problems (technical, economical and ecological). The electricity produced with the help of diesel generators is very expensive and responsible for CO₂ emission. These isolated sites have significant wind energy potential. Hence, the use of twinning wind-diesel is widely recommended, especially to reduce operating deficits. The objective of this paper is to study the global modeling of a hybrid system which compounds wind turbine generator, diesel generator and storage system. This model is based on the control strategy to optimize the functioning of the hybrid system and to consolidate the gains to provide proper management of energy sources (wind, diesel, battery) depending on the load curve of the proposed site. The management is controlled by a controller which ensures the opening/closing of different power switches according to meteorological conditions (wind speed, air mass, temperature, etc).     

An investigation of variable speed operation of diesel generators in hybrid energy systems

This paper provides a preliminary assessment of the performance and economic potential of a hybrid energy system (wind/diesel) power system which includes a variable speed diesel generator. Recent development in power electronics would be utilized to allow asynchronous operation of the diesel generator, while simultaneously delivering constant frequency electric power to the local electrical grid. In addition to the variable speed diesel, the system can include wind and/or solar electric sources. A hybrid energy system model recently developed at the University of Massachusetts is used to simulate this system configuration and other more conventional wind/diesel hybrid energy systems. Experimental data from a series of variable speed diesel generator tests were used to generate a series of fuel consumption curves used in the analytical model. In addition to performance (fuel savings) comparisons for fixed and variable speed systems, economic cost of energy calculations for the various system designs are presented. It is shown that the proposed system could offer both performance and economic advantages.     

Optimal sizing of battery storage for hybrid (wind+diesel) power systems

Hourly mean wind-speed data for the period 1986–1997 [except the years 1989 (some data is missing) and 1991 (Gulf War)] recorded at the solar radiation and meteorological monitoring station, Dhahran (26°C 32′ N, 50° 13′ E), Saudi Arabia, have been analyzed to investigate the optimum size of battery storage capacity for hybrid (wind+diesel) energy conversion systems at Dhahran. The monthly average wind speeds for Dhahran range from 4.12 to 6.42 m/s. As a case study, the hybrid system considered in the present analysis consists of two 10 kW Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS), together with a battery storage system and a diesel back-up. The yearly and monthly average energy generated from the above hybrid system have been presented. More importantly, the study explores the impact of variation of battery storage capacity on hybrid power generation. The results exhibit a trade-off between size of the storage capacity and diesel power to be generated to cope with specific annual load distribution [41,500], and for given energy generation from WECS. The energy to be generated from the back-up diesel generator and the number of operational hours of the diesel system to meet a specific annual electrical energy demand have also been presented. The diesel back-up system is operated at times when the power generated from WECS fails to satisfy the load and when the battery storage is depleted. The present study shows that for economic considerations, for optimum use of battery storage and for optimum operation of diesel system, storage capacity equivalent to one to three days of maximum monthly average daily demand needs to be used. It has been found that the diesel energy to be generated without any storage is considerably high; however, use of one day of battery storage reduces diesel energy generation by about 35%; also the number of hours of operation of the diesel system are reduced by about 52%.     

Optimisation of the hybrid renewable energy system by HOMER,PSO and CPSO for the study area

This study is based on simulation and optimisation of the renewable energy system of the police control room at Sagar in central India. To analyse this hybrid system, the meteorological data of solar insolation and hourly wind speeds of Sagar in central India (longitude 78°45′ and latitude 23°50′) have been considered. The pattern of load consumption is studied and suitably modelled for optimisation of the hybrid energy system using HOMER software. The results are compared with those of the particle swarm optimisation and the chaotic particle swarm optimisation algorithms. The use of these two algorithms to optimise the hybrid system leads to a higher quality result with faster convergence. Based on the optimisation result, it has been found that replacing conventional energy sources by the solar–wind hybrid renewable energy system will be a feasible solution for the distribution of electric power as a stand-alone application at the police control room. This system is more environmentally friendly than the conventional diesel generator. The fuel cost reduction is approximately 70–80% more than that of the conventional diesel generator.     

Techno-economic feasibility of photovoltaic,wind, diesel and hybrid electrification systems for off-grid rural electrification in Colombia

Electrification to rural and remote areas with limited or no access to grid connection is one of the most challenging issues in developing countries like Colombia. Due to the recent concerns about the global climatic change and diminishing fuel prices, searching for reliable, environmental friendly and renewable energy sources to satisfy the rising electrical energy demand has become vital. This study aims at analyzing the application of photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines and diesel generators in a stand-alone hybrid power generation system for rural electrification in three off-grid villages in Colombia with different climatic characteristics. The areas have been selected according to the “Colombia’s development plan 2011–2030 for non-conventional sources of energy”. First, different combinations of wind turbine, PV, and diesel generator are modeled and optimized to determine the most energy-efficient and cost-effective configuration for each location. HOMER software has been used to perform a techno-economic feasibility of the proposed hybrid systems, taking into account net present cost, initial capital cost, and cost of energy as economic indicators.     

Off-grid solar powered charging station for electric and hydrogen vehicles including fuel cell and hydrogen storage

This paper designs an off-grid charging station for electric and hydrogen vehicles. Both the electric and hydrogen vehicles are charged at the same time. They appear as two electrical and hydrogen load demand on the charging station and the charging station is powered by solar panels. The output power of solar system is separated into two parts. On part of solar power is used to supply the electrical load demand (to charge the electric vehicles) and rest runs water electrolyzer and it will be converted to the hydrogen. The hydrogen is stored and it supplies the hydrogen load demand (to charge the hydrogen-burning vehicles). The uncertainty of parameters (solar energy, consumed power by electrical vehicles, and consumed power by hydrogen vehicles) is included and modeled. The fuel cell is added to the charging station to deal with such uncertainty. The fuel cell runs on hydrogen and produces electrical energy to supply electrical loading under uncertainties. The diesel generator is also added to the charging station as a supplementary generation. The problem is modeled as stochastic optimization programming and minimizes the investment and operational costs of solar and diesel systems. The introduced planning finds optimal rated powers of solar system and diesel generator, operation pattern for diesel generator and fuel cell, and the stored hydrogen. The results confirm that the cost of changing station is covered by investment cost of solar system (95%), operational cost of diesel generator (4.5%), and investment cost of diesel generator (0.5%). The fuel cell and diesel generator supply the load demand when the solar energy is zero. About 97% of solar energy will be converted to hydrogen and stored. The optimal operation of diesel generator reduces the cost approximately 15%.     

Experimental study of electricity generation by Solar PV/diesel hybrid systems without battery storage for off-grid areas

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of a PV/diesel hybrid system without storage. Experimental results show that the sizing of a PV/diesel hybrid system by taking into account the solar radiation and the load/demand profile of a typical area may lead the diesel generator to operate near its optimal point (70–80% of its nominal power). The present paper shows that for a reliability of a PV/diesel hybrid system, the rated power of the diesel generator should be equal to the peak load. By the way, it has been verified through this study that the functioning of a PV/diesel hybrid system is efficient for higher load and higher solar radiation.     

Sizing of hybrid PMSG-PV system for battery charging of electric vehicles

The number of electric vehicles are increasing in the society as they are considered as zero emission vehicles and also because conventional fuels are becoming expensive. Additional electrical power should be produced to meet the energy requirement of this increase in electric vehicle population. To use the existing grid infrastructure without any failure, installing distributed generator at secondary distribution network is essential. In this work, sizing of wind-driven permanent magnet synchronous generator—photovoltaic hybrid distributed generating system has been attempted to meet the energy demand of electric vehicles of a particular residential area. Different feasible combinations for wind generator capacity and photovoltaic capacity are obtained to satisfy the additional energy requirement. Results are analyzed based on energy, financial payback periods and daily power profile of the hybrid system. Based on this analysis, the sizes of wind generator and photovoltaic array have been chosen to meet the energy demand of electric vehicles of that particular residential locality.     

Role of hybrid (wind+diesel) power systems in meeting commercial loads

The utilization of energy from renewable sources, such as wind, is becoming increasingly attractive and is being widely used for the substitution of oil-produced energy, and eventually to minimize atmospheric degradation. Literature shows that commercial/residential buildings in Saudi Arabia consume an estimated 10–40% of the total electric energy generated. In the present study, hourly mean wind-speed data for the period 1986–1997 recorded at the solar radiation and meteorological monitoring station, Dhahran (26° 32′ N, 50° 13′ E), Saudi Arabia, have been analyzed to investigate/examine the role of hybrid (wind+diesel) energy conversion systems in meeting the load requirements of a typical commercial building (with annual electrical energy demand of 620,000 kWh). The monthly average wind speeds for Dhahran range from 4.1 to 6.4 m/s. The hybrid systems considered in the present analysis consist of different combinations of the commercial 10 kW wind energy conversion systems (WECS), supplemented with battery storage unit and diesel back-up. The study shows that with thirty 10 kW WECS and 3 days of battery storage, the diesel back-up system has to provide 19% of the load demand. However, in the absence of battery storage, about 40% of the load needs to be provided by the diesel system.     

Life cycle assessment of power generation alternatives for a stand-alone mobile house

This paper presents comparative life cycle assessment of nine different hybrid power generation solutions that meet the energy demand of a prototypical mobile home. In these nine solutions, photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine are used as the main energy source. Fuel cell and diesel generator are utilized as backup systems. Batteries, compressed H₂, and H₂ in metal hydrides are employed as backup energy storage. The findings of the study shows that renewable energy sources, although they are carbon-free, are not as environmentally friendly as may generally be thought. The comparative findings of this study indicate that a hybrid system with a wind turbine as a main power source and a diesel engine as backup power system is the most environmentally sound solution among the alternatives.     

Predicting performance of a renewable energy-powered microgrid throughout the United States using typical meteorological year 3 data

Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and cost throughout the United States. Long term power outages frequently result from natural disasters, which leads to higher reliance on inefficient and cost ineffective gasoline or diesel powered generators to meet energy needs. The development of deployable renewable energy-powered microgrids as mobile power sources would allow energy demands to be met in portable and effective way, while reducing diesel fuel consumption. Characterizing system performance of renewable energy-powered microgrids prior to deployment would allow a future system to be appropriately sized to meet all required electrical loads at a given intermittent diesel generator operational frequency. Appropriate sizing of renewable energy powered microgrids and backup diesel generators would decrease system operation and transportation costs as well as define the appropriate amount of fuel to be kept on hand. This paper focuses on developing figures that represent the quantity of external AC or DC load a microgrid could supply as a function of intermittent diesel generator operational frequency. Typical meteorological year 3 (TMY3) data from 217 Class I locations throughout the United States were inserted into an operational frequency prediction model to characterize the quantity of external AC and DC load the system could supply at intermittent diesel generator operational frequencies of 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%, and 50%. Ordinary block Kriging analysis was performed to interpolate AC and DC load power between TMY3 Class I locations for each diesel generator operating frequency. Figures representing projected AC and DC external load were then developed for each diesel generator operating frequency.     

风光互补发电系统的优化设计(I) CAD设计方法

给出了一整套利用CAD进行风光互补发电系统优化设计的方法。为了精确确定系统每小时的运行状态,采用了更精确地表征组件特性及评估实际获得的风光资源的数学模型。为了寻找出以最小设备投资成本满足用户用电要求的系统配置,首先在风力发电机容量固定不变的前提下,计算了与该容量风力发电机匹配的不同容量的PV方阵和蓄电池所组成的风/光/蓄组合的全年功率供给亏欠率LPSP,根据总的设备投资成本最小化的原则筛选出一组与该容量风力发电机对应的满足用户给定系统供电可靠性即LPSP值的风/光/蓄组合;然后通过改变风力发电机的容量,优选出多个与不同容量风力发电机对应的既能满足用户用电要求同时总的设备购置成本又是最低的风/光/蓄组合,比较它们的成本最终唯一确定出以最小投资成本满足用户用电要求的优化的系统配置。     

Optimization strategy for element sizing in hybrid power systems

This paper presents a procedure to evaluate the optimal element sizing of hybrid power systems. In order to generalize the problem, this work exploits the “energy hub” formulation previously presented in the literature, defining an energy hub as an interface among energy producers, consumers and the transportation infrastructure. The resulting optimization minimizes an objective function which is based on costs and efficiencies of the system elements, while taking into account the hub model, energy and power constraints and estimated operational conditions, such as energy prices, input power flow availability and output energy demand. The resulting optimal architecture also constitutes a framework for further real-time control designs.Moreover, an example of a hybrid storage system is considered. In particular, the architecture of a hybrid plant incorporating a wind generator, batteries and intermediate hydrogen storage is optimized, based on real wind data and averaged residential demands, also taking into account possible estimation errors. The hydrogen system integrates an electrolyzer, a fuel cell stack and hydrogen tanks. The resulting optimal cost of such hybrid power plant is compared with the equivalent hydrogen-only and battery-only systems, showing improvements in investment costs of almost 30% in the worst case.     

Optimal configuration assessment of renewable energy in Malaysia

This paper proposes the use of a PV–wind–diesel generator hybrid system in order to determine the optimal configuration of renewable energy in Malaysia and to compare the production cost of solar and wind power with its annual yield relevant to different regions in Malaysia namely, Johor, Sarawak, Penang and Selangor. The configuration of optimal hybrid system is selected based on the best components and sizing with appropriate operating strategy to provide a cheap, efficient, reliable and cost-effective system. The various renewable energy sources and their applicability in terms of cost and performance are analyzed. Moreover, the annual yield and cost of energy production of solar and wind energy are evaluated. The Simulations were carried out using the HOMER program based on data obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Centre. Results show that, for Malaysia, a PV–diesel generator hybrid system is the most suitable solution in terms of economic performance and pollution. However, the cost of production of solar and wind energy proved to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the energy produced from diesel generators.     

Dynamics and stability of a hybrid wind-diesel power system

Dynamic system analysis is carried out on an isolated electric power system consisting of a wind turbine generator (WTG) and a diesel engine generator (DG). The 150 kW wind turbine generator is operated in parallel with the diesel generator to serve an average load of 350 kW. A comprehensive digital computer model of a hybrid wind-diesel power generation system, including the diesel and wind power dynamics for stability evaluation, is developed. The dynamic performance of the power system and its control logic are studied, using the time domain solution approach. A systematic method of choosing the gain parameter of the wind turbine generator pitch control by the second method of Lyapunov that guarantees stability is presented. The response of the power system with the optimal gain setting to the random load changes has been studied. Analysis of stability has further been explored using the eigenvalue sensitivity technique.