Meeting Temporary Facility Energy Demand With Climate-Optimized Off-Grid Energy Systems

Jay Pearson,Justin Delorit,Torrey Wagner,Steven Schuldt

doi:10.1109/oajpe.2020.2998982

Jay Pearson, Justin Delorit + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/oajpe.2020.2998982

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Abstract

Remote and contingency operations, including military and disaster-relief activities, often require the use of temporary facilities powered by inefficient diesel generators that are expensive to operate and maintain. Site planners can reduce operating costs by increasing shelter insulation and augmenting generators with photovoltaic-battery hybrid energy systems, but they must select the optimal design configuration based on the region’s climate to meet the power demand at the lowest cost. To assist planners, this paper proposes an innovative, climate-optimized, hybrid energy system selection model capable of selecting the facility insulation type, solar array size, and battery backup system to minimize the annual operating cost. To demonstrate the model’s capability in various climates, model performance was evaluated for applications in southwest Asia and the Caribbean. For a facility in Southwest Asia, the model reduced fuel consumption by 93% and saved $271 thousand compared to operating a diesel generator. The simulated facility in the Caribbean resulted in more significant savings, decreasing fuel consumption by 92% and saving $291 thousand. This capability is expected to support planners of remote sites in their ongoing effort to minimize fuel supply requirements and annual operating costs of temporary facilities.

Highlights

F OR military or disaster relief operations, the creation of isolated bases in remote locations are often required
This paper presented the development of an innovative costperformance model capable of optimizing solar array size, battery backup system, and shelter insulation type at any location
The results of the case study analysis illustrate the unique capabilities of the model in (1) analyzing the performance of a single shelter, which allows the model to be scaled to any base size; (2) computing system energy requirements based on weather station data, ensuring the model can be adapted to any location worldwide; and (3) incorporating insulation type into energy calculations, enabling the model to consider a wide range of shelter materials

Summary

INTRODUCTION

F OR military or disaster relief operations, the creation of isolated bases in remote locations are often required. During the Iraq and Afghan Wars, the U.S military sustained its remote sites with daily deliveries of more than seven and a half million liters of fuel This method of power production is extremely resource-intensive; costs include the purchase price of the gasoline and in transportation, and security factors. To reduce the high annual operating cost of generators, base planners have begun to incorporate the use of Hybrid Energy Systems (HES). These systems combine different energy generation technologies resulting in a more robust energy generation system.

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