Conventional Power Generation Methods Research Articles

Effect of operating conditions on the output performance of a compact TEG for low-grade geothermal energy utilization

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) offer a promising solution for harnessing low-grade heat sources including geothermal energy. However, the limited ZT values of current thermoelectric materials and the absence of advanced material-to-system integration technology result in suboptimal performance compared to conventional power generation methods, thereby constraining their large-scale applications in practice. This study has developed a compact TEG, featuring mini-channel liquid–liquid heat exchangers, to simulate low-medium temperature geothermal fluid utilization. The TEG performance was experimentally investigated and the cause of the degradation in module-to-system performance was revealed. The impacts of operational conditions and several beneficial strategies for optimizing thermoelectric performance were systematically analyzed. The results showed that the primary factor contributing to the reduction in module-to-system conversion is attributed to a decrease in internal effective temperature difference, resulting in a 12% decline in open-circuit voltage and a 26% drop in TEG power performance. The implementation of strategies, such as optimizing the flow rate of cooling water, adjusting assembly pressure, and utilizing appropriate thermally conductive pads, resulted in significant increases in net power output by 7.07%, 27.9% and 24.3%, respectively. The economic analysis also suggests that our TEG design can achieve a competitive cost and higher power performance compared to other designs, showcasing its potential for large-scale application in geothermal energy utilization.

Design of International Airport Hybrid Renewable Energy System

This paper presents the design and simulation of a hybrid renewable energy system utilizing solar and wind energy sources with a backup generator. The demand for reliable electric energy in support of investments in large social and economic development activities such as airport operations has been an agenda worldwide. In Tanzania, Mwanza International Airport (MIA) expects to consume about 18 MVA of electric power annually to support its operations for the next 25 years. About 78-80% of the world's commercial energy comes from fossil fuels. Non-renewable fuels and other negative effects contribute to global warming through greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, most centralized conventional power generation methods require transmission systems, adding complexity and poor power quality. Therefore, the proposal to use a mixed-coupled hybrid renewable energy source to power the airport is necessary. The energy mix considered is solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, diesel generator and a battery. There is an average solar irradiation of 5.38 kWh/m2 and a wind speed average of 4.20 m/s that could be converted to electricity by installing a 10-kW wind turbine (this is enough to generate power for MIA). The diesel generator and the battery designed at 140 kVA and 400 Ah, respectively, take the intermittency. The project will be in operation for 25 years; hence its costs are reasonable, and the justification is the potentiality of harvesting that estimated energy output of 18 MVA, which will meet the load for MIA. Some mathematical computations were performed, and, in the end, simulation results displayed different techno-economic Hybrid Renewable Energy Source (HRSE) configurations. The selected system's complete design would include a 78.48 kW PV system comprising 314 pieces of 200 W poly-crystalline modules, 608 batteries of 83.4 Ah, 12 V rating, 140 kVA diesel generator, and 41.64 kVA bidirectional converter. The net present cost of the selected design is US$357,780.8, the energy cost is 0.93US$/kW, and the minimum renewable fraction is 40.2%.

A Review on Techno-Economic Study for Supporting Building with PV-Grid-Connected Systems under Saudi Regulations

As the demand for electricity continues to grow in Saudi Arabia, finding ways to increase power generation becomes increasingly important. However, conventional power generation methods such as burning fossil fuels contribute significantly to environmental pollution and harm human health through the emissions of greenhouse gases. One potential solution to this problem is the use of solar energy, which has the advantage of being abundant in Saudi Arabia due to its location in the sun belt. When compared to conventional power generation methods, solar energy is a viable alternative, particularly when the indirect costs of fossil fuels, such as harm to the environment and human health, are considered. Using photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electrical energy is a key method for producing clean energy. Despite the initial cost of investing in solar energy infrastructure, it is ultimately less expensive than electricity derived from fossil fuels. In recognition of the potential of solar energy, the Saudi government has outlined an ambitious plan to install 41 GW of solar capacity and invest USD 108.9 billion by 2032. Additionally, financing and significant tax benefits have been provided to promote the development of the solar industry. This research article reviews the techno-economic analysis of PV power plants and examines previous policy papers and the existing research on the topic.

Design and Analysis of a Hybrid Power System for McCallum, NL, Canada

Although solar power plants have several advantages over conventional power generation methods, the main issue is the need for land, which is used for agriculture globally, as well as the expense. With the help of a floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) system, the problem of land constraints can be solved. FSPV can be put in any water section, which will boost generation by utilizing the cooling impact of water while also lowering the cost of the land. In this research, an on-grid FSPV system is designed and analyzed for McCallum, NL, Canada. The designed system can reduce remote site diesel consumption by 70%.

Design and Fabrication of Windmill by Using Maglev Technology

Renewable energy is electricity produces from sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal and various forms of biomass. The popularity of renewable energy has experienced with a significant upsurge in recent times due to the exhaustion of conventional power generation methods and increasing realization of its adverse effects on the environment. Bases on research, it is estimated that renewable sources might contribute about 20% – 50% to energy consumption in the latter part of the 21st century. Worldwide there is now over two hundred thousand wind turbines operating with a total name plate capacity of 432,000 MW as of end 2015.Unlike the traditional horizontal axis wind turbine, this design is levitated via Maglev (magnetic levitation) vertically on a rotor shaft. It serves as an efficient replacement for ball bearings used on the conventional wind turbine and is usually implemented with permanent magnets. This levitation will be used between the rotating shaft of the turbine blades and the base of the whole wind turbine system. It does not need to vast spaces required by more conventional wind turbines.

Editorial: Reactor Fuels, Materials and Systems Under Extreme Environments

The safe and economical operation of any nuclear power system relies, to a great extent, on the success of the fuel and the materials of construction (Allen et al., 2010). Distinct from conventional power generation methods, a nuclear reactor is characterized by a harsh level of irradiation, very high operating temperature, and extremely corrosive environments. The behavior of fuels and materials as well as systems for fission reactors is thus complex due to the changes that the extreme environments generate on them. These kinds of changes may be seldom seen in other engineering disciplines, but this poses demanding requirements over reactor fuels, materials and systems. The design of reactor fuels, materials and systems subject to extreme environments is a major obstacle to enhancing reactor safety and economic performance of nuclear power systems. It is also essential in increasing innovation for current reactor operation improvement and future reactor design optimization. To address the challenges related to extreme reactor environments, the team of editors organizes the Research Topic "Reactor Fuels, Materials and Systems under Extreme Environments" in the journal Frontiers in Energy Research. Finally, 28 articles are collected, covering the theoretical, numerical and experimental studies on reactor fuels, materials and systems under extreme environments.

DEVELOPMENT OF IoT BASED SMART INVERTER FOR ENERGY METERING AND CONTROL

Insufficient power generation has facilitated the search for alternative power generation, as the world is gradually making the transition to renewable green energy sources as a replacement for fossil fuels and other conventional power generation methods that causes environmental pollution. One of these methods is the use of solar energy for electricity generation through the use of the photovoltaic solar inverter which harnesses the power from the sun to generate electricity. The inability of electricity distributors to provide enough and sustainable power supply for homes and businesses, coupled with the need to live a smart life has made humans sort for an easier control method of electricity generation and usage. Hence, this research presents a smart voice and mobile application control modular inverter integrated with a smart metered energy distribution system, which equally distributes power amongst the users for effective and smart energy usage. A test of applied load on the inverter as compared to normal electricity usage deduced an 8% error rate giving a 92% accuracy for the inverter. The mobile app was tested for both online and offline usage and a 67% accuracy was deduced as the overall accuracy of the software. This gives an inference that the system can be fully operated by a user in the luxury of their comfort. For smart meter monitoring and energy allocation, 93.33% and 96.8% accuracy and precision were achieved respectively. This research makes the usage of green energy more efficient with its feature which allows for equal distribution of energy. The system also helps prevent energy theft or misuse by providing only the proper user with alerts and administrative control.

Advanced Control And Development of Hydro and Diesel Generator Hybrid Power System Models for Renewable Energy Microgrids

The Nigerian power problem resulted to incessant and erratic supply of electricity and this has destroyed many industrial processes in the country. It has reduced productivity and has increased unemployment rate in the country to over 50million (this figure is over 70% of Nigerian youths). This has led many of the youths in the country to crime. It has led to the deaths of many innocent people in the country. As of 2016, the electricity energy consumption in the world from the world fact book revealed that the average power per capita (watts per person) in the United States is 1,377 Watts. In Canada, it is 1704 Watts per person and in South Africa; it is 445 Watts per person and in Australia, average power per capita (watts per person) is as high as 1,112 Watts. Whereas, the average electricity consumed in watts per person in Nigeria is just 14 Watts. Unfortunately, this has put the country in a rank of 189 out of 219 countries estimated. In this research work, a Hybrid Electric Power System (HEPS) which comprises Hydro Electric Power Plant (HEPP) and Diesel Generator (DG) was modelled and a control algorithm was established to improve the performance of the system. Hybrid power system mathematical and Simulink models were developed. The output power of the developed Simulink model was be optimized using optimum power point optimization techniques and control algorithms. Simulink models of the two components of the Hybrid Electric Power System were produced using MATLAB/Simulink software. The develop Simulink models was interconnected and final model was developed. The results obtained revealed that the problems associated with conventional methods of power generation was overcomed by the development of this renewable and non-renewable energy resources Hybrid Electric Power System (HEPS) models.

Case Study of Power Plants in the Slovak Republic and Construction of Microgrid and Smart Grid

To reduce emissions worldwide, decarbonization has also affected for power engineering and its conventional methods of power generation, distribution, and transmission. This fact affects not only the production of power and supply itself, but also other parts related to it, namely systems for the protection of electricity generation facilities and the location of faults in distribution networks and transmission systems. Is this new technology of renewable energy sources (RES) mastered enough to be able to replace traditional methods of energy generation reliably and safely? If we can answer the previous question, we could proceed to the next phase of putting these technologies into practice, considering the actual state of distribution networks and transmission systems. The aim of the article will be to evaluate the current state of systems and production sources of electricity in the Slovak Republic and to provide a better insight and suggestions for rebuilding current networks on a smart grid. The proposals will also include models of some RES in the Matlab/Simulink software.

Automated control scheduling to improve the operative performance of smart renewable energy systems

Smart renewable energy systems are designed as an alternative to conventional power generation methods that utilize natural resources. The development of automation and its allied technologies has improved the performance and operations of smart energy systems in recent years. In this article, automated control scheduling (ACS) for balancing power generation and deficiency in renewable energy systems is introduced. This scheduling control is supported by deep Q-learning to define the operation and shortage state of energy systems. Based on the definitive control schedule, the functions of the systems can be modeled without requiring additional time for power generation and dissemination. In addition, the power generation process relies on environmental conditions to gain maximum profitable power for the operating cost of the power systems. The energy generation system analyzes the environmental conditions suitable for achieving maximum profit, and power dissemination is also modeled. The performance of the proposed system was analyzed using the following metrics: operational profit, imbalance factor, successful prediction of operations, and time lag.

Road Tyre Friction Used to Generation of Electrification

The current scenario of energy demands in India have waded new research areas for hunting the alternative energy resources to compensate the polluting non renewable resources. It brings larger importance to the idea of harvesting the frictional energy between the Roads and the vehicular tyres. This is exerted as a stress on the road surface accompanied by Heat dissipation. This wasted form for energy can be made productive by using Piezoelectric Generator and Thermoelectric Generator. Piezoelectric Generator generates electricity in response to stress acting on its mechanical axis while Thermoelectric Generator generates power when an ambient temperature difference is provided. These are embedded below the road surface with suitable insulations and proper structure to improve its performance. This system would have very low capital cost when compared to the total cost of power generation, transmission and distribution in conventional power generation methods with the life time of this system in concern . The pollution free electricity thus generated from the road by using these generators can be stored in a battery and later used for the domestic electrification. This method will be best suited for the electrification of all time loads like Traffic signals, street lights, lighting especially in highways.

Design and manufacturing of organic rankine cycle (orc) system using working fluid r-134a with helical evaporator and condenser

Waste heat from industries such as steam power plants can be utilized to meet the world’s electricity need. However, it cannot be converted efficiently to electric power by using conventional power generation methods as opposed to a technology called Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). ORC is one of the power plant systems that is a modification of the Rankine Cycle using organic working fluid. In this research, ORC was designed and manufactured using R-134a as working fluid and helical heat exchanger as evaporator and condenser. The design of ORC systems based on simulation using Cycle Tempo 5.0 with evaporator temperature of 90°C, condenser temperature of 10°C, inlet pressure of pump of 0.55 MPa, and inlet pressure of turbine of 0.79 MPa. The results of this study showed the length of tube evaporator and condenser of 10.61 m and 10.56 m, respectively, with system efficiency achieved at 3.8%. Based on experiment, with evaporator temperature of 95°C, condenser temperature of 10°C, inlet pressure of pump of 0.48 MPa and inlet pressure of turbine of 0.52 MPa so resulted of system efficiency of 3.33%.

A novel method to investigate voltage stability of IEEE-14 bus wind integrated system using PSAT

The maximum demand of power utilization is increasing exponentially from base load to peak load in day to day life. This power demand may be either industrial usage or household applications. To meet this high maximum power demand by the consumer, one of the options is the integration of renewable energy resources with conventional power generation methods. In the present scenario, wind energy system is one of the methods to generate power in connection with the conventional power systems. When the load on the conventional grid system increases, various bus voltages of the system tend to decrease, causing serious voltage drop or voltage instability within the system. In view of this, identification of weak buses within the system has become necessary. This paper presents the line indices method to identify these weak buses, so that some corrective action may be taken to compensate for this drop in voltage. An attempt has been made to compensate these drops in voltages by integration of renewable energy systems. The wind energy system at one of the bus in the test system is integrated and the performance of the system is verified by calculating the power flow (PF) using the power system analysis tool box (PSAT) and line indices of the integrated test system. The PF and load flow results are used to calculate line indices for the IEEE-14 bus test system which is simulated on PSAT.

Generating Electricity during Walking with a Lower Limb-Driven Energy Harvester: Targeting a Minimum User Effort

BackgroundMuch research in the field of energy harvesting has sought to develop devices capable of generating electricity during daily activities with minimum user effort. No previous study has considered the metabolic cost of carrying the harvester when determining the energetic effects it has on the user. When considering device carrying costs, no energy harvester to date has demonstrated the ability to generate a substantial amount of electricity (> 5W) while maintaining a user effort at the same level or lower than conventional power generation methods (e.g. hand crank generator).Methodology/Principal FindingsWe developed a lower limb-driven energy harvester that is able to generate approximately 9W of electricity. To quantify the performance of the harvester, we introduced a new performance measure, total cost of harvesting (TCOH), which evaluates a harvester’s overall efficiency in generating electricity including the device carrying cost. The new harvester captured the motion from both lower limbs and operated in the generative braking mode to assist the knee flexor muscles in slowing the lower limbs. From a testing on 10 participants under different walking conditions, the harvester achieved an average TCOH of 6.1, which is comparable to the estimated TCOH for a conventional power generation method of 6.2. When generating 5.2W of electricity, the TCOH of the lower limb-driven energy harvester (4.0) is lower than that of conventional power generation methods.Conclusions/SignificanceThese results demonstrated that the lower limb-driven energy harvester is an energetically effective option for generating electricity during daily activities.

Jupiter Power Generation with Electrodynamic Tethers at Constant Orbital Energy

An electrodynamic tether system for power generation at Jupiter is presented that allows extracting energy from Jupiter's corotating plasmasphere while leaving the system orbital energy unaltered to first order. The spacecraft is placed in a polar orbit with the tether spinning in the orbital plane so that the resulting Lorentz force, neglecting Jupiter's magnetic dipole tilt, is orthogonal to the instantaneous velocity vector and orbital radius, hence affecting orbital inclination rather than orbital energy. In addition, the electrodynamic tether subsystem, which consists of two radial tether arms deployed from the main central spacecraft, is designed in such a way as to extract maximum power while keeping the resulting Lorentz torque constantly null. The power-generation performance of the system and the effect on the orbit inclination is evaluated analytically for different orbital conditions and verified numerically. Finally, a thruster-based inclination-compensation maneuver at apoapsis is added, resulting in an efficient scheme to extract energy from the plasmasphere of the planet with minimum propellant consumption and no inclination change. A tradeoff analysis is conducted showing that, depending on tether size and orbit characteristics, the system performance can be considerably higher than conventional power-generation methods.

Wind energy for the 1990s and beyond

Electrical power must be available to the consumer in any amount upon demand. Conventional methods of power generation, such as the burning of fossil fuels, hydroelectric plants, and nuclear power plants, have considerable shortcomings. Governmental regulations have increased in quantity and have raised the already rigid standards of producing electric power without further damage to the environment. Electrical power produced by wind energy conversion systems are undergoing extensive research and revitalization as a viable solution to clean air power generation. The basic challenge to scientists and engineers is to develop wind energy conversion systems that produce adequate amounts of power, but at a cost comparable to present conventional methods. This article discusses the background and impact of the modern wind energy conversion system on future power generation.

PVTEC photovoltaic activity and its integrations to buildings

For dissemination and promotion of photovoltaic power generation systems, it is important to reduce power generation cost because the cost is very expensive compared with conventional power generation methods. The cost of building materials integrated PV modules can be at least partially offsetted by replacing building materials with PV modules, so PV modules integrated with building are extremely effective for cost reduction. In addition, the reduction of installing cost can be expected. PVTEC has started the research and development of new type PV modules integrated with building materials under contract with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as a four-year project from fiscal 1993.

A review of gasification for power generation

The paper is a review of the state of the art of gasification of coal for power generation. the major part of the review is a description, under the headings of fixed-bed gasification, fluidized-bed gasification, entrained gasification and molten-bath gasification, of the work currently in progress. The only large-scale operational plant is the Steag plant at Lünen in the Federal Republic of Germany, which is based on Lurgi fixed-bed technology. Another large-scale plant which seems certain to be built is the Commonwealth Edison plant at Pekin, and this too is to use Lurgi gasifiers. All other work is still in the development stage and unlikely to reach commercial scale for several years. Hopefully, this will roughly coincide with the time when gas turbines can withstand inlet temperatures of 1200°C or higher. The review briefly describes the current conventional methods of power generation, outlines the three basic types of combined cycle, and then explains why the juncture of gasification and a combined cycle is attractive. This is followed by a section on the quality of gas required for firing gas turbines, and a short outline of equipment available for gasification of coal.