MW Capacity Research Articles

Status of Battery in Indonesia to Support Application of Solar PV with Energy Storage

Indonesia plans to build solar PV plants to reach 6500 MW capacity by 2025. One of the solar PV applications is systems with battery storage systems. In this system, the battery is an important component of the solar PV system as it stores the energy for use when the sun is unavailable. This article reviews the status of batteries in Indonesia to support the proliferation of solar PV applications. The objective is to compile a battery database for solar PV applications. The database provides insight into technology and the availability of batteries. The database consists of 361 batteries of various technologies such as FLA, VRLA, VRLA gel, VRLA AGM, and Lithium-ion. The most widely available is the VRLA gel. In terms of voltage, batteries are available at 2 to 12 volts and with capacity from 1 to 3000 Ah. The availability of batteries shows that this field is ready to support the development of solar PV with energy storage although the field of battery recycling or its waste management requires more attention.

Role of operating parameters in improving stability of once through steam generator used in SFR

Once through type steam generators used in Sodium cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) are prone to flow instability. Operating parameters of the steam generators play vital role in defining a stable operating regime. Towards understanding this, a thermal hydraulic model is developed. The developed model is validated by performing experiments on a 19-tube model of straight vertical steam generator of 5.5 MW capacity. Flow instability is observed at 20% load conditions and the correlation developed by France et al. (1986) for predicting dynamic stability is validated. Various options for improving the stability, including increasing single-phase water flow resistance are investigated. It is found that by tweaking the operating parameters, viz., reducing sodium flow rate or increasing steam-side pressure, the stable operating regime can be widened, without increasing the water-side orifice pressure drop. This study is directed towards finalizing low power operating strategy of future Indian experimental fast reactor, FBTR-2.

Economic feasibility of wind and photovoltaic energy in Kuwait

The worldwide environmental concern and awareness created a way towards the generation of pollution-free wind and solar renewable energies. Wind and Photovoltaic (PV) power plants of each 10 MW capacity located in the Shagaya area, west of Kuwait, were compared after one year of operation. The wind power plants recorded high capacity factors resulting in a yearly power production of 42.59 GWh, 21% higher than expected (contractual 31.160 GWh). It will reduce the emission of CO2 throughout the projected lifetime of 25 years by 118,303 tons. CAPEX (capital Expenditure) and OPEX (operation expenditure) were taken into consideration throughout the life of the plants along with investment costs resulting in a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for wind of 0.015 KWD/kWh or 0.046 USD/kWh, compared to 0.027 KWD/kWh or 0.082 USD/kWh for solar PV (44% lower than PV). Offshore, Boubyan Island, Northern Kuwait territorial waters, were found to be the foremost appropriate for wind energy generation, with Wind Power Density of more than 500 Watt/m2 in summer which is ideal for the high energy demanding season in Kuwait. The LCOE for offshore wind energy was 27.6 fils/kWh, compared to 39.3 fils/kWh for thermal power plants.

Techno-Economic and Environmental Analysis of Energy Scenarios in Ghana

The electricity potential in Ghana has become a huge challenge to the nation, which increases the country’s economic growth and reduces Nation’s development. The study highlights the trends on the power grid of the energy potential for the past ten years’ impact regarding the directions on the power grid, and to determine the economic potential viabilities couples with the sustainability of renewable energy sources in Ghana. The study relied on substantial reviewed literature and revealed that Ghana’s energy generation has passed through multiple stages, started from diesel generator supply systems owned by industries and factories to hydroelectricity, thermal power electricity powered by natural gas or crude oil, and solar electricity. The study showed that as of December 2017, Ghana had installed a total capacity of 4398.6 MW comprising Hydro, Thermal, and Solar Plants. Out of the full power, Hydropower generates 1580 MW representing 35.9%, Thermal generates 2796 MW, which also represents 63.6%, while 22.6 MW capacity represents 0.5%. The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning system (LEAP) tools were employed to consider three different scenarios: energy demand, cost-benefit, and carbon limitation. 2018 was considered as the base year and 2048 as the end year. The results show that 17,800 GWh was estimated as energy demand at base year while 44,000 GWh at end year of 7% annual growth rate. The share of renewable power plants was almost zero at the current account. The share of solar thermal plants may reach 90% due to direct cost and externalities. The study adopted one-hundred-year direct GWP at the point of emissions to compare the Mitigation (MITG) and Reference (REF) scenarios. The model indicated 1.3 Million tons of CO2 saving and 4.0 billion U.S. dollars saving with a 5% discount rate in power generation until 2048, if only the country could afford to develop its generation system with the high deployment of RETs, additional benefits in the form of a sustainable safety environment and less emission carbon would be achieved in the next 30 years.

Fundamental switched MW‐size multilevel converter for large‐scale solar PV plant

The requirement of high power (MW-size) power conditioning unit (PCU) has increased to minimise the plant balance of system cost due to a continuous increase in solar photovoltaic (PV) plant capacity. Traditionally used high-frequency pulse-width modulated two/three-level PCUs have high device switching losses and lower conversion efficiency and are not suitable for high power PCU application as high switching losses lead to high heat generation within the converter, which is very difficult to manage, and lower conversion efficiency leads to less revenue realisation. In the present work, fundamental switching selective harmonic elimination (SHE) modulated 11-level cascaded H-bridge voltage source converter is utilised for high power MW-size PCU application, as it has lower switching losses, higher conversion efficiency, and higher AC/DC voltage ratio. The PV plant configuration for a 40 MW (AC) capacity is developed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment and implemented in real-time simulator OPAL-RT to validate the design and control. Harmonics, steady-state, and dynamic performances are demonstrated at constant and changing solar irradiance levels. The converter conduction and switching losses and conversion efficiency at different loading conditions are presented. The converter control with the capacitor voltage balancing method for fundamental switched SHE is presented in detail.

High efficiency steam-gas mixture condenser

The process of development of steam condenser for steam-gas mixture has been described. The construction is based on idea to maintain a constant steam-gas mixture speed along the steam condensation channel. The shape of the channel with constant speed is described. To research the heat-mass transfer of gas- steam mixture the test plant with tubes dissected by thermocouples, have been realized. In the process of testing there where changes of gas- steam mixture speed, pressure and air concentration from 0% to 18%. The experimental results have been summarized by dimensionless equation. The pressure drop and increase of air concentration also contributes to the decrease in a saturation temperature. So there Is optimal speed when the surface area of channel in condenser will be minimal. The optimal speed value is about 30 – 50 m/s. The research results are implemented in the experimental model of high-efficiency condenser. The heat transfer coefficient in this model is equal about 4500 – 2700 W/(m2K), if the air concentration at inlet is 0–8 %. The design of high-efficiency condenser for gas-steam turbine plant 25 MW capacity and condenser with vertical tubes have been presented.

The development of stationary battery storage systems in Germany – status 2020

This short communication paper provides an update on our original battery storage paper for the year 2019 [1]. It contains detailed information about the markets for home storage systems (HSS), industrial storage systems (ISS), and large-scale storage systems (LSS) in Germany. The HSS market has continued its growth of the last few years. We estimate that 60,000 new HSS, with a total battery power of around 250 MW and storage capacity of 490 MWh, were installed in 2019. This adds up to a total of 185,000 HSS, with a power of about 750 MW and storage capacity of 1,420 MWh by the end of 2019. The specific prices of lithium-ion HSS have fallen by more than 50% in recent years. From 2018 to 2019, prices for mid-sized HSS between 5 kWh and 10 kWh decreased by 6%, to around 1,100 €/kWh. The new database of the German Federal Network Agency, “MaStR”, already shows over 90,000 HSS registrations in total by May 1st 2020 and is growing continuously. It also yields some insights into the ISS market, which thus far has mostly been uncharted. Approximately 700 ISS with storage capacities greater than 30 kWh have already been registered. The registered ISS add up to a cumulative power of around 27 MW and storage capacity of over 57 MWh by the end of 2019. However, the current state of the ISS database still does not allow for comprehensive estimates of the overall German ISS market. With respect to the LSS market, in 2019, only nine new LSS projects came into operation with a battery power of 54 MW and storage capacity of 62 MWh, indicating a strong decline in market growth. The new installations add up to a total of 68 LSS in operation, with an accumulated power of 460 MW and a capacity of about 620 MWh. These mainly operate in the market of frequency containment reserve (FCR). FCR prices have been decreasing in recent years to less than 1,500 €/MW/week in 2019. At the beginning of 2020, the prices dropped to around 1,000 €/MW/week, which makes the market increasingly unattractive to new participants. Furthermore, the German Federal Network Agency confirmed three pilot projects of large-scale so-called “grid boosters” with 100 MW / 100 MWh (two projects) and 250 MW/250 MWh (one project) that are expected to commence operation in 2022. These systems will boost the LSS market significantly. In terms of storage technologies, lithium-ion batteries remain the leading technology in all BSS markets.

Steam condenser for plants with carbon dioxide recovery

Power plants with CO2 utilization have been designed by Allam, Mateant, Turbocon, etc. One of the main problems of this plant is a condenser for steam-gas mixture with high concentration of non-condensable gas. The process of development of steam condenser for steam-gas mixture is described. Its design is based on the idea of maintaining a constant steam-gas mixture velocity along the steam condensation channel. The shape of the channel with constant SGM velocity is described. To research the heat-mass transfer of gas-team mixture the test plant with tubes crosscut by thermocouples is realized. In the process of testing, gas-steam mixture velocity, pressure and air concentration changed from 0% to 18%. The experimental results have been summarized in a dimensionless equation. The pressure drop and increase of air concentration contribute to the decrease of saturation temperature. The optimal velocity is reached when the surface area of the channel in the condenser is minimal. The optimal velocity is about 30 – 50 m/s. The research results are implemented in the experimental model of high-efficiency condenser. The heat transfer coefficient in this model is equal to about 4500 – 2700 W/(m2K) if air concentration at the inlet is 0–8 %. The designs of high-efficiency condenser for gas-steam turbine plant of 25 MW capacity and the condenser with vertical tubes have been presented.

Evaluation of environmental flow requirement using wetted perimeter method and GIS application for impact assessment

The environmental flow requirement varies from project to project based on their location, need, and habitat. The Binwa hydropower project is in the Kangra district of the Himachal Pradesh and a small hydropower project of 6 MW capacity. Here an attempt is made to assess the environmental flow requirement using the hydraulic approach, wetted perimeter method, and compared with the currently maintained e-flow. It is one of the old and commonly used method of assessing the environmental flow based on the hydraulic characteristics such as the depth, width, and perimeter. The discharge is computed for each depth along with the profile and a graph is plotted to obtain the required environmental flow. The assessed minimum flow values are customarily validated using a habitat or holistic approach. Here, to validate the calculated minimal flow value for its sufficiency, the Geographical Information System application is employed as it calculates the vegetation and water indices. The average of the breakpoint discharge has been calculated as 0.7724 m3/s. The minimal flow maintained in the Binwa basin is 0.9 m3/s which is within the limit of the existing flow maintenance during the lean period. The Geographical Information System results support the sufficiency of the environmental flow maintained in the downstream side of the dam. The wetted perimeter helped in deriving the environmental flow while the Geographical Information System application assisted in evaluating the sufficiency spatially.

Turkey’s energy transition from fossil-based to renewable up to 2030: milestones, challenges and opportunities

The energy demand of Turkey has been increasing along with increasing life standards and population and growing economy particularly since the 1980s. Most of the oil and natural gas have been imported by Turkey due to insufficient domestic reserves. Nowadays, the population of Turkey is about 83 million. The Turkish economy grew by 3% in the last 30 years and became the 18th largest economy in the world and the 6th one in Europe. Turkey aims to use energy resources efficiently, effectively and eco-friendly. Concerning climate change, Turkey signed the Paris Agreement and pledged a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emission by the year 2030. While the energy world is in an inevitable transition to green energy, Turkey, which has a huge potential to achieve 100% energy transition in renewable energy, is still the 17th largest country in the utilization of renewable energy. Although Turkey has already reached the 2023 targets concerning the utilization of renewable energy, there is a long path to reach the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The 2030 targets of Turkey are to increase the installed solar capacity up to 38,000 MW, wind capacity up to 25,000 MW and geothermal capacity up to 4000 MW. Turkey officially announced that the utilization of renewable energy will be 32%. However, taking into account the potential and success in 2023 targets, it was seen that 2030 targets should be revised and increased from 32% to at least 50%. This study presents the milestones, challenges and opportunities of Turkey on the way of the energy transition toward renewable up to 2030. The energy goals of Turkey which are to use domestic energy resources efficiently and effectively were discussed and presented in detail. The aim of Turkey is to reduce the energy import dependency (76%). The installed energy capacities, energy consumption and projections, energy security and energy policies of Turkey were also presented.

Impact of Energy Storage on Renewable Energy Utilization: A Geometric Description

The high penetration of volatile renewable energy challenges power system operation. Energy storage units (ESUs) can shift the demand over time and compensate real-time discrepancy between generation and demand, and thus improve system operation flexibility and reduce renewable energy curtailment. This paper proposes two parametric optimization models to quantify how the power (MW) and energy (MWh) capacity of ESU would impact renewable energy utilization from two aspects: renewable energy curtailment and system flexibility for uncertainty mitigation. The two indicators are characterized as multivariate functions in the capacity parameters of ESUs. A severity ranking algorithm is suggested to pick up critical scenarios of fluctuation patterns from the uncertainty set; consequently, the proposed models come down to multi-parametric mixed-integer linear programs (mp-MILPs) which can be solved by a decomposition algorithm. The proposed method provides analytical expressions of the two indicators as functions in MW and MWh capacity. Such a characterization delivers abundant sensitivity information on the impact of ESU capacity parameters, and provides a powerful tool for visualization and useful reference for storage sizing. Case studies verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and demonstrate how to use the geometric information.

Hybrid Pumped Hydro Storage Energy Solutions towards Wind and PV Integration: Improvement on Flexibility, Reliability and Energy Costs

This study presents a technique based on a multi-criteria evaluation, for a sustainable technical solution based on renewable sources integration. It explores the combined production of hydro, solar and wind, for the best challenge of energy storage flexibility, reliability and sustainability. Mathematical simulations of hybrid solutions are developed together with different operating principles and restrictions. An electrical generating system composed primarily by wind and solar technologies, with pumped-storage hydropower schemes, is defined, predicting how much renewable power and storage capacity should be installed to satisfy renewables-only generation solutions. The three sources were combined considering different pump/turbine (P/T) capacities of 2, 4 and 6 MW, wind and PV solar powers of 4–5 MW and 0.54–1.60 MW, respectively and different reservoir volume capacities. The chosen hybrid hydro-wind and PV solar power solution, with installed capacities of 4, 5 and 0.54 MW, respectively, of integrated pumped storage and a reservoir volume of 378,000 m3, ensures 72% annual consumption satisfaction offering the best technical alternative at the lowest cost, with less return on the investment. The results demonstrate that technically the pumped hydro storage with wind and PV is an ideal solution to achieve energy autonomy and to increase its flexibility and reliability.

Thermodynamic modeling and performance evaluation of a supercritical coal-fired power plant situated in Western India

ABSTRACT Energy consumption in India is increasing drastically due to the increase in its population every year. In this severe condition, it is highly desirable to focus on the performance of existing and upcoming power plants in India using thermal performance analysis of each plant. The subcritical power plants are going to be replaced by supercritical power plants (SUPP) in the present scenario in the country. The present study deals with the thermal performance analysis of a 660 MW capacity coal-fired SUPP situated in western India. The thermodynamic modeling with empirical relation of each of its components is done and executed in MATLAB programming interface. The pure sliding pressure with variation in plant load is taken for constructing a semi-empirical model. The properties of steam are considered as per the IAPWS IF-97 standard. The results obtained from the simulation model are validated with actual operational data of the plant. The amount of coal consumption, steam mass flow rate, plant overall efficiency with variation in plant load is analyzed and compared with the operational data. The output obtained from the simulated program found to be satisfactory by comparing it with the actual operational plant data under study. The condenser rejects 36.42% of total heat to cooling water. The predicted steam generator efficiency of 86.04% is validated with actual steam generator efficiency. The simulated model of the SUPP will help those technologists and investigators who are putting their effort into improving the performance of coal-fired power plants.

4E Analysis and Design of a Combined Cycle with a Geothermal Condensing System in Iranian Moghan Diesel Power Plant

Considering the new issues human society faces now, environmental issues, and climate change is one of the primary and most essential phenomena which have been caused by the unsustainable lifestyle of men over the last two centuries. Power and energy are some of the leading role players of today’s human lifestyle and one of the most effective in which the environment is affected. This article represents the results of research over the possibility of recovering waste heat and determination of design parameters of a waste heat steam generator for medium speed set of diesel generators, with the rated 42[Formula: see text]MW capacity and are used for power generation. The main goals of this study are to manage the waste heat of the engines and to help the severe water leakage of the power plant. In this paper, for managing the waste heat, a combined steam cycle is being designed for this process. This system added 19[Formula: see text]MW the overall electricity generation, and the exergy and energy efficiencies of the system are being increased by 29.2% and 32.8%. Moreover, finally, a geothermal condensing system (GCS) is designed to control the water shortages of the steam power unit condensing system. The GCS condensing system developed in this paper helps to reduce the water evaporation losses in the cooling water by more than 79% compared to the wet cooling towers.

Environmental impact of hydrogen production from Southwest China's hydro power water abandonment control

Water abandonment in hydroelectricity production is a major challenge that can be solved with an increase in electricity demand. China as a country with huge hydropower installation is faced with the problem of underutilizing the hydropower potential due to inadequate electricity demand and transmission facility. In this study, we investigate the potential of hybridizing hydrogen production with hydropower stations in Southwestern China. We found that the integration of hydrogen production with hydropower stations will help reduce the country's CO2 emissions and as much as 1.18% reduction in China emission can be achieved adopting this methodology. In a hydropower station of 750 MW capacity, about 3.142 × 108 kg of hydrogen could have been produced from the abandoned water in 2019. This will also result in 351, 734, 330.9 kgCO2/yr emission reduction. We also developed a model to determine the optimized hydrogen installed capacity based on different parameters. Based on 2019 data, the CO2 emission of China will be reduced by 0.127% with the production of hydrogen from the excess electricity of a 750 MW hydropower station (Case study A) in Sichuan Province.

Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Brass Francis Turbine Manufactured by Local Investment Casting Technique in Nepal

Most of the hydro turbines in Nepalese power plants are imported from foreign industries. Findings from the studies have shown that up to 60% of the 13,000 MW capacity hydropower projects under the survey stage in Nepal would need Francis type of turbine with unit size below 5 MW. To meet the demand for turbines, Nepal has imported turbines worth US$ 5,616,072. The imported turbines from foreign industries could not address local problems of Nepalese hydropower. In Nepal, due to the sediment-laden condition of rivers alternative design and manufacturing techniques of turbines are necessary. To provide the new manufacturing techniques of Francis turbine in Nepal local casting process can be a solution because metal casting is a hereditary profession in Nepal since ancient periods till now. Large-sized bronze cast bells that are placed in Nepalese temples were manufactured in ancient times without a proper theoretical study on them. This paper discusses the materials testing of investment cast and sand cast brass materials of 14 kW Francis runner of Turbine Testing Lab (TTL) for exploring the possibilities of manufacturing Francis turbine. Tensile, Compressive and Charpy impact tests were performed base on ASTM standards and also the microscopic study was conducted at Kathmandu university laboratory. These testing results can be helpful for further studies on alternate turbine manufacturing processes as well.

Electrical power generation through concentrated solar technology for the southern cities of Iraq

With a continuing mismatch between generating capacity and demand requirements, Iraqi cities are still enduring scheduled power outages. In this work, concentrated solar power (CSP) technology is proposed and designed for Iraqi cities to inject power into distribution networks with the objective of boosting the generating power capacity. Since CSP systems require a preliminary study of the direct normal irradiance (DNI), analyses of monthly data is carried out for each of the candidate cities. This is followed by determination of the amount of solar irradiance that falls on a titled collector per month considering the effects of reflection and diffusion. Finally, a thermal power plant is proposed and simulated using the system advisory model (SAM) per city. Results presented show an encouraging number of metrics and confirm the feasibility of such a plant in southern Iraq. The levelised cost of electricity and capacity factor shows a considerable decrease and increase respectively, when the plant is backed up by a fossil fuel steam cycle under circumstances when a plant loses over 80% of the MW capacity due to drop in solar irradiance. To provide a comparision platform, for each city, a photovolitaic (PV) plant is designed with an indentical electric capacity to that of the CSP plant. Findings from this work confirm that CSP plants can provide a suitstanable and enviroemntl friendly solution to electrical power shortages in the country compared to the current PV trends.

Risk based initial cost assessment while planning a hydropower project

In the absence of perceived risks at planning stage, initial cost underestimation or overestimation is commonly existent in hydropower projects. This study suggests an expert fuzzy-TOPSIS multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology for the initial cost estimation of a hydropower project. Risk factors along with their likelihood and impact are analyzed in pre-feasibility stage to assess the cost intervals per MW capacity. Project developers can use this philosophy to screen projects and identify critical areas for detailed investigations. To demonstrate the methodology's effectiveness, a case study of 126 MW Myntdu Leshka hydropower project in Meghalaya, India, is adopted. This study contributes to the limited research available concerning the analysis of risk factors for the cost assessment of a hydropower project.

Assessment of erosive wear of Pelton turbine injector: Nozzle and spear combination – A study of Chenani hydro-power plant

This study concerns with erosion of Pelton turbine injector i.e. (nozzle spear tribo pair) by sediment particles for a typical power plant located in Himalayan belt of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Erosion of hydro turbine/runner and its allied parts by the sediment particles suspended in the river water is one of the challenging problems (faced by maintenance personnel of hydro power plants). Injector assembly is subjected to severe erosion which renders it dysfunctional in relatively short span of time compared to other parts of the hydro power plant. A detailed study regarding erosion measurement has been conducted using novel technique of 3D optical scanning to assess material loss and identify type of wear for spear and nozzle combination used at Chenani power plant (5 units each with a 4.66 MW capacity). Hydro-abrasive wear was quantified on the basis of measurement of material removed by process of erosion on spear and nozzle (virgin parts) compared with weight of eroded parts (scanned). The erosion was found to be 3.71% and 5% on spear and nozzle respectively (of virgin volume).

Identification of Permeability Level by using Fault Fracture Density Analysis and Landsat 8 OLI at Ulubelu Geothermal Area

Ulubelu geothermal field is located approximately 125 km at the west of Bandar Lampung, Lampung Province. Currently, the Ulubelu geothermal prospect has been developed as a geothermal power plant with 220 MW installed capacity. Ulubelu geothermal field began to operate since 2012 with the first capacity of 3x55 MW which has a temperature of 265°C with 1,160 kg/kJ average enthalpy and developed as water dominated system with single flash system technology. This research analyzes fault fracture density in the area to study the area which can potentially have high permeability or fracture by using remote sensing data (digital elevation map) to delineate the lineaments which can be observed at Ulubelu and surrounding. This research is also used Landsat 8 OLI data to determine the vegetation level of the Ulubelu area. The result of the analysis shows that there are three potential areas to be the recharge area, west of Mt. Pematang Sulah, west of Mt. Rendingan, and north of Mt. Rendingan. The recharge area should be preserved to maintain the geothermal system in the Ulubelu area.