Overview of energy storage systems for storing electricity from renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia

Renewable power (photovoltaic, solar thermal or wind) is inherently intermittent and fluctuating. If renewable power has to become a major source of base-load dispatchable power, electricity storage systems of multi-MW capacity and multi-hours duration are indispensable. An overview of the advanced energy storage systems to store electrical energy generated by renewable energy sources is presented along with climatic conditions and supply demand situation of power in Saudi Arabia. Based on the review, battery features needed for the storage of electricity generated from renewable energy sources are: low cost, high efficiency, long cycle life, mature technology, withstand high ambient temperatures, large power and energy capacities and environmentally benign. Although there are various commercially available electrical energy storage systems (EESS), no single storage system meets all the requirements for an ideal EESS. Each EESS has a suitable application range.     

Application of geographical information systems to rural electrification with renewable energy sources

This paper approaches one of the main problems of rural electrification: the choice of the most appropriate technology for each case. The main objective of this project is to apply Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to divide the research zone into areas in that are more appropriate for either conventional or renewable technologies. The approaches for choosing among the different technologies are usually technical and economic; these may be jointly considered by the leveling electric cost (LEC). Determination of the LEC is a complex task that requires knowledge of the capacity factor. This paper shows the conclusions of the technical and economic parameter analysis involved in the determination of the LEC for each technology. This analysis has allowed us to carry out proposals of improvement in the methodology of the GIS of rural electrification. The resulting GIS has been verified in the municipality of Lorca (Murcia, Spain).     

Energy for sustainable development in Malaysia: Energy policy and alternative energy

Energy is often known as the catalyst for development. Globally, the per capita consumption of energy is often used as a barometer to measure the level of economic development in a particular country. Realizing the importance of energy as a vital component in economic and social development, the government of Malaysia has been continuously reviewing its energy policy to ensure long-term reliability and security of energy supply. Concentrated efforts are being undertaken to ensure the sustainability of energy resources, both depletable and renewable. The aim of this paper is to describe the various energy policies adopted in Malaysia to ensure long-term reliability and security of energy supply. The role of both, non-renewable and renewable sources of energy in the current Five-Fuel Diversification Strategy energy mix will also be discussed. Apart from that, this paper will also describe the various alternative energy and the implementation of energy efficiency program in Malaysia.     

A multi-agent system for energy management of distributed power sources

The field of energy management is an area increasingly studied. However, most solutions are based on centralized systems and barely fulfil criterion like fault tolerance or adaptability. Also, these systems are often difficult to design because of the “top–down” approach used: the designer generally knows how each component has to respond separately, but a centralized management system focuses his attention solely on the overall reaction of the system. That is why a distributed management solution based on the paradigm of Multi-Agent Systems (MASs) is proposed in this paper. In addition to a more natural conception, based on a “bottom–up” approach, this solution ensures better system reliability. After reviewing the previous works, an application of MAS to power management in a hybrid power source is presented. Then, the system is tested using a simulation model. The results show that this approach is perfectly valid and can respond to most problems of centralized energy management systems (EMSs).     

Experimental investigation of power management and control of a PV/wind/fuel cell/battery hybrid energy system microgrid

This paper presents an experimental study of a standalone hybrid microgrid system. The latter is dedicated to remote area applications. The system is a compound that utilizes renewable sources that are Wind Generator (WG), Solar Array (SA), Fuel Cell (FC) and Energy Storage System (ESS) using a battery. The power electronic converters play a very important role in the system; they optimize the control and energy management techniques of the various sources. For wind and solar subsystem, the speed and Single Input Fuzzy Logic (SIFL) controllers are used respectively to harvest the maximum power point tracking (MPPT). To maintain a balance of energy in the hybrid system, an energy management strategy based on the battery state of charge (SOC) has been developed and implemented experimentally. The AC output voltage regulation was achieved using a Proportional Integral (PI) controller to supply a resistive load with constant amplitude and frequency. According to the obtained performances, it was concluded that the proposed system is very promising for potential applications in hybrid renewable energy management systems.     

Rural electrification of a remote island by renewable energy sources

India has a large number of remote small villages and islands that lack in the electricity, and probability of connecting them with the high voltage gridlines in the near future is very poor due to financial and technical constraints. The main electrical load in these villages is domestic. In this paper a study has been presented for sustainable development of renewable energy sources to fulfill the energy demands of a remote island having a cluster of five villages. The total potential of electricity from these resources is estimated to be equivalent to 3530 kWh/day whereas demand is only 2310 kWh/day with an installed capacity of 450 kW, which is sufficient to replace the existing power generation system dominated by diesel operated system.     

Energy use in the rural areas of India: setting up a rural energy data base

Aggregating and forecasting demand are crucial parts of energy planning. While a large number of energy consumption surveys have been conducted in the past in the rural energy sector of India, the lack of sufficient data and its compilation, coupled with doubt about the quality of data, has made the task extremely difficult. This paper summarizes our recent effort to compile, computerize and analyze data from 638 village energy consumption surveys covering over 39,000 households, carried out by different organisations between 1985 and 1989. The details of the level of information provided in the survey reports, area of survey, land use pattern, asset ownership, etc., of the collated studies are presented. Results based on the analysis of the energy consumption data compiled are then discussed. The national average for rural domestic thermal energy consumption (excluding water and space heating) estimated through this work (629 kcal or 2.63 MJ per capita daily) is much similar to the rural domestic thermal energy requirement assumed in most energy planning exercises in India in the past. The useful thermal energy consumption varies from 325 to 1065 kcal/cap/d (1.36-4.46 MJ/cap/d) in the East Coast Plain and Hills and the Eastern Himalayan Regions, respectively. Reconfirming the predominance of firewood, the data reveals that the contribution of firewood to the domestic thermal energy consumption has remained at about 58% over the last three decades; dungcake and agricultural residues contribute almost equally in the remaining share. At the national level, our estimates indicate that at least 180 million tonnes of firewood, 40 million tonnes of dungcakes and 30 million tonnes of agricultural residues were consumed in the rural sector for meeting the domestic thermal energy requirement in 1991. The paper also compares the estimates with those based on other surveys in India.     

Renewable energy sources in the Egyptian electricity market: A review

This review paper presents an appraisal of renewable energy RE options in Egypt. An appraisal review of different REs is presented. The study shows that electric energy produced from REs in Egypt are very poor compared with other energy sources. The utilization of the renewable energies can also be a good opportunity to fight the desertification and dryness in Egypt which is about 60% of Egypt territory. The rapid growth of energy production and consumption is strongly affecting and being affected by the Egyptian economy in many aspects. It is evident that energy will continue to play an important role in the development of Egypt's economy in coming years. The total installed electricity generating capacity had reached around 22025 MW with a generating capacity reached 22605 MW at the end of 2007. Hydropower and coal has no significant potential increase. During the period 1981/82-2004/05 electricity generation has increased by 500% from nearly 22 TWh for the year 1981/1982 to 108.4 TWh in the year 2004/2005 at an average annual growth rate of 6.9%. Consequently, oil and gas consumed by the electricity sector has jumped during the same period from around 3.7 MTOE to nearly 21 MTOE. The planned installed capacity for the year 2011/2012 is 28813 MW and the required fuel (oil and gas) for the electricity sector is estimated to reach about 29 MTOE by the same year. The renewable energy strategy targets to supply 3% of the electricity production from renewable resources by the year 2010. Electrical Coverage Electrical energy has been provided for around 99.3% of Egypt's population, representing a positive sign for the welfare of the Egyptian citizen due to electricity relation to all development components in all walks of life. The article discusses perspectives of wind energy in Egypt with projections to generate ∼ 3.5 GWe by 2022, representing ∼9% of the total installed power at that time (40.2 GW). Total renewables (hydro + wind + solar) are expected to provide ∼7.4 GWe by 2022 representing ∼ 19% of the total installed power. Such a share would reduce dependence on depleting oil and gas resources, and hence improve country's sustainable development.     

Dynamics of rural energy access in India: An assessment

India’s rural energy challenges are formidable with the presence of majority energy poor. In 2005, out of a rural population of 809 million, 364 million lacked access to electricity and 726 million to modern cooking fuels. This indicates low effectiveness of government policies and programs of the past, and need for a more effective approach to bridge this gap. However, before the government can address this challenge, it is essential that it gain a deeper insight into prevailing status of energy access and reasons for such outcomes. Toward this, we perform a critical analysis of the dynamics of energy access status with respect to time, income and regions, and present the results as possible indicators of effectiveness of policies/programmes. Results indicate that energy deprivations are highest for poorest households with 93% depending on biomass for cooking and 62% lacking access to electricity. The annual growth rates in expansion in energy access are gradually declining from double digit growth rates experienced 10 years back to just around 4% in recent years. Regional variations indicate, on an average, cooking access levels were 5.3 times higher in top five states compared to bottom five states whereas this ratio was 3.4 for electricity access.     

Sizing methodology for hybrid systems based on multiple renewable power sources integrated to the energy management strategy

This work presents a design methodology for a hybrid energy system based on multiple renewable power sources and bioethanol. The new concept of generation consists on having multiple power sources such as a PEM fuel cell system fed by the hydrogen produced by a bioethanol reformer and wind-solar sources working all together supervised by the energy management system. The necessary heating for the bioethanol reforming reaction can be provided by the renewable sources to enhance the efficiency of the hydrogen production. It is worth noting that, from the power balance as well as backup point of views, the hybrid system is equipped with energy storage devices. An optimal sizing methodology integrated with the energy management strategy is proposed here for designing the overall hybrid system. The suggested approach is based on genetic algorithms, using historical climate data and load demands over a period of one year. Several simulation results are given to show the methodology performance in terms of loss of power supply probability (LPSP), costs and bioethanol consumption.     

Mapping the potential for decentralized energy generation based on renewable energy sources in the Republic of Croatia

There are regions in the Republic of Croatia (underdeveloped, devastated by war, depopulated, as well as islands and mountainous areas) which are still disconnected from the electricity network or where the current network capacity is insufficient. In addition, these regions have good renewable energy potential. Since the decentralized energy generation (DEG) covers a broad range of technologies, including many renewable energy technologies (RET) that provide small-scale power at sites close to the users, this concept could be of interest for these locations. This paper identifies the areas in Croatia where such systems could be applied. Consideration is given to geographical locations as well as possible applications. Wind, hydro, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, and biomass conversion systems were analyzed from a technological and economic point of view. Since the renewable energy sources (RES) data for Croatia are rather scarce, the intention was to give a survey of the present situation and an estimate of future potential for DEG based on RES. The energy potential (given as capacity and energy capability) and production costs were calculated on a regional basis and per type of RET. Finally, the RES cost–supply curves for 2006 and 2010 are given.     

Development of isolated energy systems based on renewable energy sources and hydrogen storage

For the development of the energy infrastructure of remote isolated consumers, an expedient solution is the creation of a modular hybrid energy system based on renewable energy sources, which will save tens of billions of rubles a year by saving expensive diesel fuel. Taking into account the high wind energy resource in these territories, the use of wind power plants as part of that system is justified. The article discusses the methodology for substantiating the parameters and modes of operation of an autonomous wind-diesel power complex based on the territorial-power classification of power supply systems and a 4-level methodology for optimizing parameters, an example of upgrading an existing diesel power plant in the Arkhangelsk region is given. The existing diesel units with a capacity of 1300 kW were replaced by a modular wind-diesel power system with a high renewable penetration level (58%) with four wind turbines with a capacity of 200 kW and a storage system with a capacity of 65 kWh. This made it possible to achieve a diesel fuel replacement share of 232 000 L per year, which in monetary terms in 2021 prices is 25 million rubles per year. As a promising direction, a variant of the territorial development of the energy sector of the Leshukonsky district of the Arkhangelsk region based on wind energy with the possibility of producing up to 100 tons of “green” hydrogen annually is considered. Various options for reducing harmful emissions in the region were considered, the maximum use of local resources allows saving up to 22 000 tons of CO_2e per year.     

An application of a combined wind and solar energy system in Izmir

In this work, a combined system which is produced electrical energy from both solar radiation via solar cells and wind energy by using wind turbine was studied. For wind energy, measurements of wind velocities at 12 m height were taken. Then, these values were calculated for 42 m by using Hellmann equation. After that, wind energy converted to the electrical energy. However, value of solar radiation from solar cells was taken at the optimum slope angle of collector which provided higher energy production for each 1 h during this application. Thus, obtained data from each system were used together for finding total energy. For this study, measurements, which would be used in calculation of wind energy and solar energy were taken for four years between 1995 and 1998 in Izmir. As a result, energy of the combined system could support each other when one of them produces energy insufficiently.     

Prospects of key technologies of integrated energy systems for rural electrification in China

Owing to increasing environmental concerns and resource scarcity, integrated energy system shave become widely used in communities. Rural energy systems, as one of the important links of the energy network in China, suffer from low energy efficiency and weak infrastructure. Therefore, it is particularly important to increase the proportion of electricity consumption and build an integrated energy system for rural electrification in China (IESREIC) with a rural distribution network as the core, in line with national conditions. In this study, by analyzing the Chinese regional differences and natural resource endowments, the development characteristics of the IESREIC are summarized. Then, according to the existing rural energy problems, key technologies are proposed for the IESREIC, such as those for planning and operation, value sharing, infrastructure, and a management and control platform. Finally, IESREIC demonstration projects and business models are introduced for agricultural production, rural industrial systems, and rural life. The purpose is to propose research concepts for the IESREIC, provide suggestions for the development of rural energy, and provide a reference for the construction of rural energy systems in countries with characteristics similar to those of China.     

Toward the clean production of hydrogen: Competition among renewable energy sources and nuclear power

This study elucidates the competition among renewable and nuclear energy sources for the production of hydrogen. These involve the use of solar, wind, biological process, tidal, geothermal and nuclear power to generate hydrogen. A comprehensive economic model, the Taiwan General Equilibrium Model-Clean Energy (TAIGEM-CE) model, is used for forecasting. Based on certain assumptions, the analytical results reveal that the most promising means of generating hydrogen is using wind power. Geothermal power is the most sensitive to external investment as a source of power for producing hydrogen. Solar hydrogen also benefits greatly from investment. Production of biohydrogen will be favorable without external investment, and they are less sensitive to investment than other renewable energy sources. Based on the assumptions made in this study, nuclear energy is not as competitive as most renewable energy sources for hydrogen production.     

The energy situation in OIC countries The possible contribution of renewable energy resources

The paper reviews the socioeconomic situation and energy utilization in Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries which vary considerably. The review indicates that growing energy requirements are associated with economic development and population increase. Renewable energy utilization is indicated as an appropriate alternative for providing a considerable portion of future energy demand in certain energy-consuming sectors. When reviewing the present state of the art of major renewable energy technologies, particular attention is paid to both direct and indirect solar technologies. Possible adaption of renewables into the socioeconomic structures of OIC countries is discussed. The programme of action for renewables in the OIC is stressed, pointing to the priority attached to enhancing the renewable energy contribution.     

Hybrid application of biogas and solar resources to fulfill household energy needs: A potentially viable option in rural areas of developing countries

The absence of clean cooking facilities and electricity means billions of rural people are deprived of much needed socioeconomic development. Livestock residues (dung) and solar radiation are two renewable energy resources that are abundantly available in rural areas of developing countries. Although it is not feasible for these two resources separately to meet both thermal (cooking) and electricity demands, hybrid applications have not been given due attention. To facilitate integrating these two resources in rural energy planning, and to promote their dissemination through hybrid applications, it is necessary to evaluate their economic merits, and assess their ability to deal with the demands. In this paper, we examine the techno-economic performance of hybrid applications of these two resources by applying a simulation technique using the HOMER tool, and by giving derived cost-saving equations. We also quantify the monetary savings from replacing traditional fuels, and perform a sensitivity analysis on a number of variables (e.g. dung cost, fuelwood cost) to see how they affect the performance of different energy supply alternatives. Furthermore, we examine the practical applicability of the biogas system in the households through a structured survey of 72 ongoing household biogas plants. This study finds that households that have between three and six cattle can potentially meet their cooking and electricity loads through a hybrid implementation of biogas and solar PV (Photovoltaic) system. By replacing conventional fuels households can achieve savings that are more than the total annualized costs incurred for installing new services.     

Study in industrial applications of solar energy and the range of its utilization in Jordan

The objective of this research is to encourage the utilization of industrial solar energy in the Arab world and especially in Jordan, which has a sunny weather for most of the year. From his experiments on the Rankine cycle utilizing solar energy for the period between 1871 and 1884, the scientist John Ericson suggested that international relationships in the future will change to the benefit of those countries having continuous solar energy. Jordan nearly does not have a huge amount of oil, natural gas and uranium fields, but it has a huge amount of solar energy available most of the year. This research is a review of the industrial applications of solar energy and their development, which may be useful for the development of military equipment and for economical purposes. This study also shows that the Jordanian government should encourage research centers to do more serious steps towards the utilization of industrial solar energy.     

Solar and wind energy in Poland as power sources for electrolysis process - A review of studies and experimental methodology

The production of hydrogen is still a major challenge, due to the high costs and often also environmental burdens it generates. It is possible to produce hydrogen in emission-free way: e.g. using a process of electrolysis powered by renewable energy. The paper presents the concept of a research, experimental stand for the storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen chemical energy with the measurement methodology. The research involves the use of proton exchange membrane electrolysis technology, which is characterized by high efficiency and flexibility of energy extraction for the process of electrolysis from renewable sources. The system consist of PV panel, PEM electrolyzer, battery, programmable logic controller system and optional a wind turbine. Preliminary experimental tests results have shown that the electrolyzer can produce in average 158.1 cc/min of hydrogen with the average efficiency 69.87%.     

Sustainable application of renewable sources in water pumping systems: Optimized energy system configuration

Eighteen years ago, in Portugal, the expenses in a water supply system associated with energy consumption were quite low. However, with the successive crises of energy fuel and the increase of the energy tariff as well as the water demand, the energy consumption is becoming a larger and a more important part of the total budget of water supply pumping systems. Also, new governmental policies, essentially in developed countries, are trying to implement renewable energies. For these reasons, a case-study in Portugal of a water pumping system was analysed to operate connected to solar and wind energy sources.