Capacity factor of renewable energy power plants during electric power peak times in Jeju Island

Abstract

We estimated the capacity factor (CF) of renewable energy (RE) (wind + solar) in Jeju Island of South Korea. The effect of renewable energies on power systems has been increasing due to the continuous spread of wind and solar generators. Wind and solar energy recourses are more variable than the other RE ones. Because they are intermittent and uncertain power systems. Wind power and solar photovoltaic generations are the lead renewable energy ones in Korea. Moreover, wind energy is a major factor in the “Carbon Free 2030” project announced by the Government of Jeju Island in 2012. This paper presents the CF of wind and solar power plants (SPPs) during the seasonal peak time. The 18 SPPs and the 17 wind power plants (WPPs) were considered in this analysis and we divided these power plants depending on the location. The integration of variable renewable generation sources into a power system raises issues regarding how to quantify the capacity value of these sources. We used the peak period CF method, which is based on the CF of RE plants during the peak period. Thus, the information above is useful for designing the hybrid wind and solar electric system to enhancing the stable operation power system in Jeju Island. Finally, both CFs of the solar and the WPPs during electric power peak times (EPPT) in Jeju Island were compared. The electric power demand on the island commonly reached a peak time in the summer and winter. The largest values of CFs of the wind and the SPPs were obtained in the western region in the island.