Energy Power Plants Research Articles

Techno-economic assessment of a green liquid hydrogen supply chain for ship refueling

Maritime transportation is an essential component of international trade and global economic growth: according to the 2021 Review of Maritime Transport, transportation by sea is responsible for more than 80% of the global product flow. To facilitate decarbonization and reduce pollutant emissions in the maritime sector, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set very ambitious targets, and hydrogen is one of the most promising energy vectors capable of supporting the required low-carbon energy transition. Recently, therefore, more attention has been paid to finding technical solutions for the development of hydrogen-based alternative propulsion systems and, at the same time, a hydrogen distribution infrastructure suitable for shipping. In this scenario, this study aims to analyze, through design, modeling and optimization approaches, the energy and economic performance of an offshore wind power plant integrated with a liquid hydrogen production system to be used for refueling ships far from ports. This study focuses on the development of an optimization procedure dedicated to finding the best technical solution in terms of component sizes and management strategies that ensure the minimum Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH). Resultshave highlighted that the proposed innovative plant configuration for the offshore liquid hydrogen production is able to produce 317 tons per year of green hydrogen with a LCOH of 16.77 €/kg by using 19 MW offshore wind farm and 5 MW PEM electrolyzer.

Commercial operation mode of shared energy storage system considering power transaction satisfaction of renewable energy power plants

The sharing economy mode can promote an optimal allocation and utilization of resources, and its integration with the energy storage and renewable energy can improve their utilization rate and reduce the dispatching deviation. In order to reduce the renewable energy dispatching deviation and improve profits of shared energy storage, this paper proposes a shared energy storage commercial operation mode considering the power transaction satisfaction of renewable energy plants. Firstly, in order to promote the participation of renewable energy plants in the commercial mode, a power transaction satisfaction mode is proposed, and a multilateral bidding transaction mode based on power transaction satisfaction is established. Secondly, in order to further compensate the dispatching deviation, a deviation elimination model through jointing multiple shared energy storages and renewable energy plant clusters is established, and the advantages of renting multiple shared energy storages are analyzed. Thirdly, in order to quantify the profits of each participant in the commercial mode, a shared profit and settlement cost model is developed. Finally, the correctness of the above proposed model is verified by analyzing the case study.

Life cycle environmental impact assessment of the “Sindhuja-I” wave energy converter

The life cycle assessment (LCA) is an inevitable part of ocean wave energy systems. This paper presents an LCA of the Sindhuja-I ocean wave energy converter (WEC). The WEC is a point absorber type WEC tested at the Tuticorin port in India. This study utilized the ISO 14044 standard and SimaPro LCA software to assess the environmental impact of the WEC in comparison to a coal power plant, offshore wind, and tidal energy devices. The functional unit considered is the generation of 1 kWh of electricity. The WEC has a global warming potential of 174 gCO2-eq/kWh, showcasing an impressive 81.9% reduction in emissions compared to coal power plants. Stainless steel contributes significantly to emissions, accounting for 93.7%, 94.6%, 99.4%, and 94.1% of total CO2, NOx, SO2, and PM2.5 emissions, respectively. The paper emphasizes the potential environmental benefits of recycling WEC materials at the end of their lifespan. Furthermore, the study suggests that the longevity of a point absorber device can positively impact its overall environmental footprint, given its minimal moving parts and low maintenance requirements. The WEC has a promising environmental footprint of ocean wave energy conversion, particularly compared to traditional fossil fuel-based power generation.

Hybrid Simulation Model of Lifecycle Simulation and Replacement Simulation Considering Carbon Lock-In by Coal-Fired Power Plants

To meet the temperature goal set by the Paris Agreement, cumulative CO2 emissions must be kept below 300 GtCO2. Road transportation accounted for approximately 18% of the CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 2017. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been rapidly adopted by environmentally conscious consumers in many countries to reduce CO2 emissions. EVs have lower emission intensities than do internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) in most parts of the world, except where the penetration of renewable energy is low in the energy production mix. In such places, the CO2 emissions of EVs are larger than those of ICEVs. Despite the obvious need to increase renewable energy sources to reduce CO2 emissions, Japan and many other countries around the world have yet to shift away from fossil fuels. This is due in part to carbon lock-in, which refers to prior decisions related to technologies and infrastructure that constrain the implementation of better paths toward low-carbon technologies. Coal-fired power plants are the most problematic in terms of carbon lock-in because of their high carbon intensities and long physical lives. In addition, because carbon lock-in by coal-fired power plants has a significant impact on the embodied CO2 intensity of grid power, it impacts society through products that use electric power. In this study, we propose a hybrid simulation model of lifecycle simulation and replacement simulation, considering carbon lock-in by coal-fired power plants. In the replacement simulation, we simulated the replacement of end-of-life coal- and oil-fired power plants with renewable energy power plants using a probability called the lock-in rate and estimated the changes in the embodied CO2 intensity of grid power in Japan. In the lifecycle simulation, we evaluated cumulative CO2 emissions from entire product lifecycles of ICEVs and EVs based on three different EV diffusion scenarios. The results showed that the lock-in rate of coal-fired power plants strongly affects the decarbonization effect due to the market diffusion of EVs.

Waste collection route optimisation for the second waste-to-energy plant in Budapest

The city of Budapest produces approximately 680–700 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, of which <2/3 is being recycled or used for energetic purposes, the rest ends up in a landfill. To combat this environmental and logistical problem the installation of a second waste incineration plant has been proposed in the south of the city. The only cost associated with fuel consumption in the case of waste to energy powerplants (WtE plants) is the transport cost, as the city council provides economic support for waste disposal. Since the transportation has a huge influence on the cost of opertation, logistical optimisation of the transport routes promises a direct impact on cost savings. In this study the logistical optimisation of the Southern Budapest area was carried out using image processing and logic based algorithm programming. As a result the optimal transport of 230 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) was solved resulting in a 4 835.2 km monthly travel distance reduction.This value can be translated to 7 823 €/month cost, 9 459.6 kg/month CO2 and 45.3 kg/month NOx emissions reduction in the urban areas.

Effect of Solar Irradiation Inter-Annual Variability on PV and CSP Power Plants Production Capacity: Portugal Case-Study

The sizing of solar energy power plants is usually made using typical meteorological years, which disregards the inter-annual variability of the solar resource. Nevertheless, such variability is crucial for the bankability of these projects because it impacts on the production goals set at the time of the supply agreement. For that reason, this study aims to fill the gap in the existing literature and analyse the impact that solar resource variability has on solar power plant production as applied to the case of Portugal (southern Europe). To that end, 17 years (2003–2019) of meteorological data from a network of 90 ground stations hosted by the Portuguese Meteorological Service is examined. Annual capacity factor regarding photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants is computed using the System Advisor Model, used here for solar power performance simulations. In terms of results, while a long-term trend for increase in annual irradiation is found for Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), 0.4148 and 3.2711 kWh/m2/year, respectively, consistent with a solar brightening period, no corresponding trend is found for PV or CSP production. The latter is attributed to the long-term upward trend of 0.0231 °C/year in annual average ambient temperature, which contributes to PV and CSP efficiency reduction. Spatial analysis of inter-annual relative variability for GHI and DNI shows a reduction in variability from the north to the south of the country, as well as for the respective power plant productions. Particularly, for PV, inter-annual variability ranges between 2.45% and 12.07% in Faro and Santarém, respectively, while higher values are generally found for CSP, 3.71% in Faro and 16.04% in São Pedro de Moel. These results are a contribution to future instalments of PV and CSP systems in southern Portugal, a region with very favourable conditions for solar energy harvesting, due to the combination of high production capacity and low inter-annual variability.

Energy Advantages and Thermodynamic Performance of Scheffler Receivers as Thermal Sources for Solar Thermal Power Generation

This article examines the prospects of Scheffler solar receivers integrated into renewable energy power plants for civil applications. This kind of solar receiver can offer satisfactory energetic performance with acceptable energy conversion efficiency when compared to other technologies to harness solar energy since the high-quality focal receiver can reduce heat losses also supposing great levels of evaporation temperature. In this research, energetic optimization and a broad assessment of Scheffler-type solar receivers are thoroughly conducted for variable sun radiation and considering a broad range of working conditions. To achieve this goal, thermodynamic optimization of the chief factors was attained via a numerical model which calculated the energy efficiency of the Scheffler solar receiver at part-load working conditions by computing all energy losses negatively affecting the heat exchange phase in the cavity receiver. The results obtained in this study show that the solar collector efficiencies of Scheffler receivers appear more promising than that of usual parabolic trough collectors; moreover, Scheffler receivers persisted with less sensitivity to reductions in solar radiation intensity. For these reasons, solar power systems based on Scheffler-type systems can be used from tens to hundreds of kW to ensure the energetic supply of small urban settlements with acceptable efficiency, optimistic investments, simple construction and reduced overall sizes.

Dynamic modelling and equilibrium manifold of multi‐converter systems: A study on grid‐forming and grid‐following converters in renewable energy power plants

AbstractThis study explores the optimal balance between grid‐forming (GFM) and grid‐following (GFL) converter capacities within power stations to ensure stable operations. The investigation introduces a novel, generic modelling approach for analysing multiple converter systems in the wind and photovoltaic power plants. The method aims to elucidate the dynamic characteristics of the converters in power plants, particularly focusing on the continuity and existence of the equilibrium manifolds and their impact on system stability. Findings reveal a pronounced difference in the recovery capabilities of GFM and GFL following synchronization losses, highlighting an asymmetry in their abilities. Specifically, GFL converters exhibit more effectiveness in reinstating synchrony after synchronization losses caused by GFM. Conversely, GFM demonstrates a lesser capacity to recover from synchronization losses induced by GFL. Furthermore, analysis indicates that when the capacity ratio of GFL to the system's short‐circuit capacity significantly exceeds that of GFM (exceeding a 1:5 ratio), the system experiences an absence of a stable equilibrium point, thereby affecting the synchronization stability of GFM. These conclusions have been validated through joint controller hardware‐in‐the‐loop testing.

Thermal energy storage behaviour of 3D ceramic/molten salt structures under real concentrated solar radiation

Molten salts, phase change materials commonly employed in thermal energy storage (TES) systems, are widely known to enhance the efficient use and storage of solar energy in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Here, three-dimensional TES (3DTES) have been manufactured from highly porous (up to ∼90 %) 3D printed patterned vermiculite (V) and alumina (Al2O3) supports, which have been infiltrated with molten sodium nitrate salt (nn) and solar salt (ss). These 3DTES have been validated under real concentrated solar radiation in a parabolic solar furnace. Among the different 3DTES, those based on V-nn exhibits the best efficiency for the conversion of the incident solar radiation into heat; whereas Al2O3-nn transfers the heat more efficiently and allows a faster charging-discharging cyclability due to its higher thermal conductivity. This study confirms the benefits of additive manufacturing to develop a new class of innovative TES for CSP applications.

Optimal operation strategy for renewable power plants based on 5G base stations response

Abstract The integration of large-scale new energy sources has led to a significant challenge in electricity supply and demand balancing within the power system. To address this issue, it is crucial to establish an optimization strategy of renewable power plant based on 5G base stations response. Firstly, according to the operating state of the base station, the energy storage schedulable strategy of the base station was designed. Then, through the regulation function of the base station’s reserve energy storage and the operation principle of the renewable energy power plant, the operation model of the renewable power plant considering the base station’s participation and response was established. Finally, evaluation indexes such as the absolute peak-to-valley difference, the standard deviation of daily load and the peak-valley difference rate can be used to measure system optimization results. The results show that the proposed strategy improves the source load imbalance in the power system while enhancing reliability and economy of new energy.

Optimal control of a doubly fed induction generator of a wind turbine in cooperation with weak and rigid grids

In this article a control method for a rotor side converter (RSC) of a doubly fed induction generator of a wind turbine is developed. The doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) system of a wind energy power plant that improves grid symmetrization was applied. The issue of optimal control was treated as an extended linear quadratic regulator (ELQR) having an extra set of exogenous inputs, which are source voltages of the electric grid. No additional knowledge of equations modelling the exogenous inputs was assumed. The proposed method is much more efficient than the currently available linear quadratic control methods. The control objective for a weak grid was to maintain the given value of the voltage module on load terminals and the given value of active power transferred from the stator’s winding. First harmonic components of relevant waveforms were used for this purpose. This task also required the DFIG system to provide reactive power to the grid. In the case of a rigid grid, this reactive power would be too high. Therefore, in this case, it was assumed that the system would supply only part of the required active and reactive power, based on its capabilities. It was required that the voltage and current ratings of the system, mainly the DFIG, were not exceeded. Therefore, the parameters of the network in these difficult failure cases were corrected only partially. The behaviour of the grid in the conditions of failure, as well as the return to the steady state after failure disappearance, were studied.

Thermodynamic, economical and environmental performance evaluation of a 330 MW solar-aided coal-fired power plant located in Niger

The integration of solar thermal energy into a coal-fired power plant is one of the best ways to reduce the environmental impact of the latter linked to the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. In this paper, solar energy is used before the boiler, just after the first high-pressure feed water heater via a solar preheater (Water/Heat Transfer Fluid exchanger). It should be noted that in this study, there is no feed water heater displacement, and so the plant will operate in pure fuel-saving mode. To carry out an analysis of the integration of solar thermal energy in a coal-fired power plant, a 330 MW Solar Aided Coal Power Plant (SACPP) in northern Niger was studied. The results bring out that the annual solar energy production is 208 GWh, and solar energy can contribute up to approximately 15 % in the production of electricity. The considered SACPP significantly reduces the environmental impact of coal-fired power plants, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of around 381358 tons/year. In addition, the annual energy production cost from solar energy in the hybrid system is obtained as 0.0357 $/kWh and the investment payback period is around 12 months.

USING THE ARDUINO PLATFORM IN THE RESEARCH OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

Modern measuring systems used in the study of internal combustion engines require significant investments. The universal Arduino platform offers ready-made powerful hardware modules for data collection (shields) and control, which work in a wide range of frequencies and signal amplitudes, provide their analysis and processing, allow to implement equipment management, and have a relatively low cost and free software with standard libraries. These facts testify to the high relevance of the use of the Arduino platform in the study of internal combustion engines. The purpose of this work is to determine the possibilities and features of using the Arduino hardware and software platform in the study of processes occurring in energy power plants with internal combustion engines, early prototyping of their control and diagnostic systems. The paper considers the possibility of hardware and software connection of sensors for measuring basic physical quantities to the Arduino platform: crankshaft rotation frequency (based on induction sensors and Hall sensors), pressure, air and fuel flow, temperatures (resistance sensors and thermocouples). In addition, the characteristics (dependence of the measurement parameter on the output value) of some popular sensors used in the study of internal combustion engines are given. It is important to consider that the equipment used for the study of processes in the ICE must meet the certification requirements. In the case of Arduino, this certification may not be available. However, the recommendations for the use of various sensors, shields and Arduino boards can be applied if the measured quantity is not the determining factor. It is important to consider these limitations and use Arduino with an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the platform. The use of Arduino in the educational process in the training of specialists in the field of power engineering and in the research of energy installations of vehicles will allow students to apply the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired in the learning process at the hardware and software levels, which will create additional motivation for further study devices and principles of operation of automated and automatic vehicle control systems.

Two-stage coordinated scheduling of hydrogen-integrated multi-energy virtual power plant in joint capacity, energy, and ancillary service markets

With the emergence of distributed resources (DRs), developing an effective, profitable, and green management method is of great importance. Virtual power plant (VPP) can aggregate various DRs, optimize their schedules, and participate in electricity markets uniformly to earn profit. The optimal scheduling problem in spot market has been widely studied, however, few studies have extended the services of VPP to the long-term scale. This paper proposes a coordinated scheduling method for a multi-energy virtual power plant (MEVPP), considering the integration of hydrogen facilities. A holistic market framework, including capacity market, energy market (EM), and ancillary service market (ASM) is developed jointly for the coordination among the annual capacity schedule, daily energy schedule, and daily reserve schedule of MEVPP. A hybrid hydrogen storage system including daily hydrogen storage and seasonal hydrogen storage is modeled to achieve both intraday and cross-seasonal peak shaving. Stochastic programming is used to tackle the uncertainties and risk management is considered by conditional value at risk. With the help of numerical analysis in case studies, it can be concluded that the proposed coordinated scheduling method can improve the economy of MEVPP. The profit from joint market decreases the total cost by about 52 %. The capacity adequacy and flexibility of MEVPP can be improved by the coordination of capacity and reserve services. The hybrid hydrogen storage system can realize the efficient integration of hydrogen and increase hydrogen production and consumption by about 9 %.

Dynamic capacity withholding assessment of virtual power plants in local energy and reserve market

The increasing utilization of distributed generation resources led to the formation of active distribution networks and virtual power plants (VPPs), which have changed the paradigms of electrical energy transactions in local energy markets. The VPPs can form capacity-withholding groups and impose market power to gain more profits, which may increase the costs of energy procurements for consumers. This paper presents an algorithm for the local electricity market operator in distribution networks to assess the dynamic capacity withholding of VPPs in the local energy and reserve markets. The main contribution of this paper is proposing indices to evaluate the dynamic capacity withholding of VPPs in energy and reserve markets. The other contribution of this paper is that it also quantitatively analyzes the impact of withholding processes on the flexibility of the distribution network. An optimization process is used to estimate coordinated offers of VPPs in the energy market in order to prevent the formation of withholding groups. The proposed algorithm was assessed for the 123-bus IEEE test system and the energy and reserve dynamic capacity-withholding indices were determined for different operating conditions.

Assessment of the performance of implementation of renewable energy facilities with the prospect of hydrogen production using the example of southern Russia

Adopting experience and best practices for stimulating the development of RES in individual regions that most successfully implement RES-based installations into their energy balance is a necessary element in the development of the energy sector of disadvantaged regions, while a methodology is needed to determine what factors influenced the success of implementation and what criteria should be used to compare and to determine the success of the implementation of RES in the region, however, a generally accepted methodology has not been formed to date. It was proposed to determine the leading regions and disadvantaged regions from the point of view of success in introducing renewable energy sources into the regional energy system based on the success of fulfilling the regional demand. To assess the success of the use and implementation of installations based on renewable energy in the regional energy system, it is necessary to identify parameters that reflect the potential of renewable energy sources, the initial state of energy supply in the region, the costs of construction of the installation, the profit received from the sale of generated energy, and the current state of the regional energy system. Based on the developed technique, the six most energy-intensive regions included in the operating area of the Southern Branch of United Dispatch Control Center of Russian Power System Operator which have renewable energy power plants were analyzed. The chosen indicator was the share of energy resources generated from renewable energy sources in the total amount of energy resources. Based on the results of the analysis, recommendations were drawn for disadvantaged regions. Energy donation for disadvantaged areas is proposed through the production of a universal energy carrier - hydrogen - in prosperous areas. For energy storage, hydrogen cryogenic storage facilities have been considered promising. The standard cryogenic hydrogen tank RSV-1400 was adopted as part of the main element of the hydrogen storage facility. The capacity of such tanks is 1 000 000 L. To transport energy to consumers, the possibilities of transporting hydrogen by cryogenic tankers and hydrogen transport tanks have been considered.In addition, at present there is a fairly large scientific, technical and practical base for the creation of gas and cryogenic liquid hydrogen pipelines.

Optimasi Charger Controller Pembangkit Listrik Picohidro Kapasitas 250 Watt

PLTMH is one of the renewable energy power plants that is environmentally friendly. Indonesia has considerable hydropower potential that can be developed into Micro / Mini Hydro Power Plants of 19,385 MW spread throughout Indonesia [2]. PicoHidro Power Plant is part of PLTMH with an output power of &lt; 1 kW [1]. The advantages of this plant are generating electricity without being too influenced by seasons and day and night changes, power generation fluctuations are relatively small, the possibility of electricity generation is high, the impact on the environment is very small and the fast response is suitable for peak load conditions and when there is a disturbance in the network. PLPicohidro uses a DC generator that utilizes a power source for battery charging. The battery is used as an inverter voltage source to turn on the AC load. For that, a Charger Controller is needed which is useful for charging the battery. The DC voltage source coming from the generator is stored using a battery and then goes to the inverter to be converted into AC voltage. In this study, automatic charging of two batteries was used or can be called automatic charging. The way this circuit works is when the battery is full, the charger will automatically stop. The voltage indication during the charger process is 11 Volts and stops when the voltage reaches 14 volts. The use of two batteries in the charger process can work alternately, if battery 1 is full then battery 2 will charge automatically, and vice versa.

Predicting Energy Production in Renewable Energy Power Plants Using Deep Learning

It is very important to analyze and forecast energy production for investments in renewable energy resources. In this study, the energy production of wind and solar power plants, which are among the leading renewable energy sources, was estimated using deep learning. For a solar power plant, three different solar power plants with 1MW installed power were examined. Three-year energy production data of power plants were taken. These data were used with the deep learning method long short-term memory (LSTM) and seasonal autoregressive moving average (SARIMA). Results were obtained for each dataset; they were subjected to five different (MSE, RMSE, NMSE, MAE, and MAPE) error performance measurement systems. In the LSTM model, the highest accuracy rate was 81% and the lowest accuracy rate was 59%. In the SARIMA model, the highest accuracy rate was 66% and the lowest accuracy rate was 41%. As for wind energy, wind speeds in two different places were estimated. Wind speed data were taken from meteorological stations. Datasets were tested with MAPE, R2, and RMSE error performance measurement systems. LSTM, GRU, CNN-LSTM, CNN-RNN, LSTM-GRU, and CNN-GRU deep learning methods were used in this study. The CNN-GRU model achieved a maximum accuracy of 99.81% in wind energy forecasting.

Power Forecast of Renewable Energy Power Plant Based on Kalman Filter Method

At present, the prediction accuracy of water power plant is poor. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of water power plant. Firstly, the regression sliding model is obtained by analyzing the power sequence of the water power plant, and the regression sliding model is regarded as Kalman filter method. Then, the equation value is obtained by the state equation of Kalman filter method, and the power generation is predicted by Kalman filter method. In the follow-up case analysis, the evaluation index of the China Energy Bureau is used to evaluate the prediction accuracy of power generation. The MATLAB prediction results show that the proposed method in this paper can get better results and higher prediction accuracy.

The impact of energy supply side on the diffusion of low-carbon transformation on energy demand side under low-carbon policies in China

In order to promote the synergistic green and low-carbon development of energy supply-demand sides, this paper uses the complex network evolutionary game to explore the impact of supply side decision-making on the diffusion of low-carbon transformation on demand-side under low-carbon policies. The result shows that: (1) It is feasible for the government to use carbon trading as a policy tool to promote synergistic low-carbon transformation on supply-demand sides, but it is constrained by the carbon price trend. (2) Relying only on the direct supply of clean energy from the energy supply to demand side is not enough to promote synergistic development, and the government needs to guide the both sides to cooperate in the construction of renewable energy power plants. (3) When carbon price is on an upward trend, the government needs to push forward the low-carbon transformation process on supply side, and form the low-carbon transformation of demand side driven by supply side. (4) When carbon price is on a downward trend, the government needs to guide the supply side to bear part of the transformation cost pressure on the demand side, and at the same time give more transformation subsidies.