Assimilating wind [wind energy contribution to UK energy needs]

The belief that wind energy can make only a marginal contribution to the UK's energy needs is based on fundamental misconceptions. The DTI suggests that up to half of the 2010 target for renewable electricity (10%) could be met by wind energy. The British Wind Energy Association argues that this is quite feasible and has carried out a detailed analysis, suggesting possible regional distributions. The industry struggles, however, to overcome misconceptions. 'What happens when the wind stops blowing?' is a frequent question, and even power engineers suggest-quite erroneously-that thermal plant must be held in readiness to pick up any reductions in output. It is also argued that electricity distribution systems, designed to cope with power flows from central power stations, cannot easily cope with power from wind farms flowing in the opposite direction. Although this may be true in some locations, wind is no different from any other form of generation-welcome in some locations, but more difficult to assimilate in others. Experience in Denmark suggests such problems can be overcome, with wind now accounting for more than a third of the generation capacity in Jutland. This paper discusses the issues and involved in overcoming the misconceptions. No matter how strong the engineering argument for wind energy, as with any other energy option, wind power will only be deployed on a significant scale if it can generate electricity at a cost comparable to alternative forms of generation technology. The latest figures suggest that wind is more than equal to this challenge     

Spinning reserve [energy storage system]

Combining a flywheel, a motor and a generator results in a novel energy storage system with some remarkable attributes. In this paper, the author describes how the application of modern materials and power electronics has given new life to one of humankind's oldest inventions     

含大规模风电的电力系统储能电源优化配置研究

随着化石能源枯竭和大气污染等问题的日益深化,风力发电在现阶段的发展中得到了快速的发展.藉此,本文立足于现阶段我国风力发电发展现状,对风电的电力系统储能电源的优化配置进行了深入的研究.     

计及风力发电和储能设备的经济调度模型

随着配电网中风力发电并网容量不断增加和储能设备的大量使用,给系统运行优化分析带来更多的困难与挑战,传统的经济调度模型难以满足目前智能电网的发展趋势。基于上述目的,本文建立了考虑风力发电和储能设备的配电网经济调度模型,该模型是一个非线性优化问题,以调度配电网系统的综合成本为目标函数,采用粒子群算法进行模型求解。通过算例分析,表明该模型较好结合了风力发电系统和储能设备,有效地降低了系统的综合成本。     

大数据下分布式风电光伏储能容量配置方法

以往使用大型蓄电池储能系统配置,通过非参数估计和曲线拟合储能容量配置方案,只针对一种情景分析,导致不同天气下容量配置结果不理想,为了解决该问题,提出了大数据下分布式风电光伏储能容量配置方法。分析分布式风电光伏储能拓扑结构,调整储能装置能量状态,使其能在不同情景下工作。计算目标函数,确定波动量权重值,设计跨时间尺度的能量存储总体布局方案,使用大数据分析方法求解目标函数,并设计储能容量配置流程。由实验结果可知,该方法分别在大雾、大雨和雷暴天气下的容量配置结果与预期配置结果一致,具有良好的配置效果。     

Bubble power [other sources of nuclear energy]

Research teams from various organizations have joined forces to create the Acoustic Fusion Technology Energy Consortium (AFTEC) to promote the development of sonofusion and its related science and technology. Technically known as acoustic inertial confinement fusion, sonofusion was derived from a related phenomenon, sonoluminescence. Sonofusion involves the application of sound waves to a deuterium-rich liquid to create pressure oscillations that implode tiny bubbles filled with deuterium vapor. The bubbles' violent collapse can cause some of the deuterium nuclei to undergo fusion. Fusion produced no greenhouse gases and, unlike conventional nuclear fission reactors, it produces no noxious radioactive wastes that last for thousands of years. Much more extensive research, however, is required before it is clear whether sonofusion can become a new energy source.     

Doing better with less energy [fuel-efficient power generation]

The authors describe how many fuel-efficient coal-fired power generation technologies can be adopted at reduced net cost, but argue that, unless barriers to innovation are removed, their adoption will be far from automatic     

风电储能系统能量调度策略研究

为了改善风电场发电的稳定性,抑制风电引起的电压波动与闪变,提高含风电电力系统的稳定性问题成为重要的研究内容,本文在简要介绍风电的特点的基础上,针对风电并网带来的电能质量及稳定性等问题,阐述了基于能量调度技术的解决方案,详细介绍了基于模糊理论＂最大-最小＂算法的调度系统控制器和系统其它主要部分的模型及仿真结果。控制器根据负荷用电量预测信息控制储能系统的充放电,不仅能有效抑制并网后电网的电能波动也能优化风电的发电质量。MATLAB仿真结果表明,风电储能系统能量调度策略和控制器是有效的,该系统能够有效减小风电场并网功率的波动。     

Reap the wild wind [offshore wind farm]

The worlds largest offshore wind farm is being built at Horns Rev (Reef) in the often turbulent seas off Denmark. The 80 towers in 20 km/sup 2/ of sea will be capable of generating 160 MW of power. Elsam expects Horns Rev to make 600 GWh of electricity a year, 2% of the country's consumption. This paper discusses the construction of the wind farm.     

Active power filter with hybrid energy storage

An active power filter that uses an impressed current converter and an inductive-capacitive energy storage circuit is presented. This storage includes a switching section to interface the inductive and capacitive element. This solution allows independent choice of the converter configuration and of the type of storage system which, in this particular case, is mainly capacitive. The theory of operation is analyzed, together with control strategy and design criteria. Experimental results are reported     

一种用于风电功率预测的双存储结构LSTM模型

文章针对风力发电特有的间歇性和不稳定性等特性,提出一种双存储神经元的长短时记忆(LSTM)模型(DuLSTM)用于风电功率预测。通过建立双存储神经元结构的LSTM模型,对周期性较强和突变性较强的风电功率分别采用不同神经元建模,有效解决受天气剧烈变化影响下的风电功率预测精度较低的问题。实验结果表明,预测误差相对LSTM模型从10.4%下降到7.0%,改进后的Du-LSTM神经网络模型在预测精度和拟合度上优于原始LSTM网络模型。     

Running against the wind [sports prosthetics]

This paper discusses the implications of recent technological advances in sports prosthetics on the existing rules for various sporting events. The paper points to the record-breaking performance of the double-leg amputee from South Africa, Oscar Pistorius, at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. Fitted with high-tech carbon-fiber artificial running legs, Pistorius became the first leg amputee to run the 200-meter dash in less than 22 seconds. Because it seems likely that Pistorius will one day qualify for able-bodied competitions, current rules may need to be reviewed.     

A second wind for wiring [ADSL]

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modems deliver voice and high-speed data (at up to 6 Mb/s) simultaneously over ordinary twisted pairs. The author discusses the technology involved and its implementation. Various aspects of the service are considered together with Internet access     

Meter power [electricity metering]

The author discusses the problems caused by the privatisation of the UK electricity supply industry in the area of metering. The minimum requirements for changes in metering suggested by Offer (Office of Electricity Regulation) to improve demand side management, are discussed. The author then discusses communication techniques for improved metering. The author describes mains signalling and radio techniques for remote meter reading. The practical implications of using such technology and its benefits are discussed     

The power within [Internet]

The public Internet has revolutionised the world's communications. Now companies are rushing to build their own private intranets. The author explains some of the attractions that intranets provide: cross-platform functionality; a consistent view of information; an enabling technology path; ease of integration; ease of communication; relatively low-cost installation; and increased effectiveness of information     

Nonstop monitoring [power quality]

A power failure could spell disaster for a large financial institution. The author describes the role of fixed power quality monitoring systems in ensuring that the trading never has to stop. Consulting engineers and site facility managers are increasingly of the opinion that supply quality in a modern commercial building demands the installation of a fully integrated, fixed power quality monitoring system, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The PegaSys system, manufactured in Canada by Power Measurement Ltd of Victoria, British Columbia, and marketed in the UK by C-Matic Systems is an example of a modern, highly flexible, power monitoring system. A typical installation consists of one or more monitoring PCs connected to a network of fixed power quality instruments installed at all of the key supply points throughout a building. The PC's graphical interface depicts the electrical layout of the building, indicating the location of each monitoring instrument, together with the status of load levels or approaching alarm limits. Typically, a user will have one main screen where system condition can be viewed at a glance. More detailed information is available by navigating down through the hierarchy of screen layers. The objective of the system is to provide load trending for system planning together with pre-fault alarming, so that, as far as is humanly possible, power outages are avoided     

Technology 1993-the specialties [multimedia, magnetic storage,education]

Changes in multimedia, magnetic materials and technologies, and engineering education during 1992 are examined. While entertainment is the main objective of much of today's multimedia, the technology is also affecting the marketing and training disciplines, but data storage and retrieval remains a bottleneck. However, recent developments in magnetism could be revolutionary for multimedia and other storage devices, particularly magnetic media that store more to the millimeter. On the educational front, demand grew for major changes in undergraduate engineering education     

Canned heat [nuclear waste storage]

Fifty-nine years after the dawning of the nuclear age, not one country has managed to find anything more than a temporary resting place for its tons of nuclear detritus. Improvements in the design and operation of power reactors and scattered shortages of electricity this past summer have made the waste problem the biggest obstacle to any resurgence of nuclear power. Such a reemergence is needed, supporters say, to reduce acid rain and to keep more than a billion tons of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel plants out of the atmosphere over the next 10-20 years. It would also help reduce the dependence of the US, European, and Japanese economies on oil, thereby lessening their exposure to the seemingly endless cycles of instability, violence, and terrorism in parts of the Middle East. But there is no agreement anywhere as yet on a permanent solution for dealing with the waste, which will remain radioactive enough to harm human beings for thousands of years. Still, consensus over a temporary fix has finally emerged in the United States, Europe, and Japan. With dry-cask storage, as the technique is known, workers seal spent nuclear fuel or high-level waste in metal or metal-and-concrete containers that are guarded and monitored, typically in a fenced-in compound or warehouse near the reactor where the fuel was used. The casks are roughly 5 meters tall, 2.5 meters in diameter, and weigh more than 100 metric tons when loaded. After decades of uncertainty, utilities finally have a direction, at least, and a sorely needed one     

Let the sun shine in [solar cell used as energy]

One of the major drawbacks of photovoltaic systems is the high generation cost. To address this problem, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency initiated a study to create a thousand 10 cm/sup 2/ solar cells with over 50% efficiency, providing 500 mW in full sunlight, with reasonable manufacturing costs. Called the Very High Efficiency Solar Cell (VHESC) program, it hopes to take advantage of recent advances in nanotechnology by using engineered biological molecules to guide the assembly of inorganic materials into regular 3D structures, with dimensional and assembly control unattainable using current technologies. The program also hopes to benefit from the recent introduction of tools and processes to design and cost-effectively fabricate small-feature, complex, broad-spectrum non-imaging optics.