Remote Area Power Supply Research Articles

Rule based coordinated source and demand side energy management of a remote area power supply system

Rule based coordinated source and demand side energy management of a remote area power supply system

Study on green power supply modes for heavy load in remote areas

In this study, the present situation and characteristics of power supply in remote areas are summarized. By studying the cases of power supply projects in remote areas, the experience is analyzed and described, and the applicability of related technologies, such as grid-forming storage and power load management, is studied, including grid-connection technologies, such as grid-forming converters and power load management. On this basis, three power-supply modes were proposed. The application scenarios and advantages of the three modes were compared and analyzed. Based on the local development situation, the temporal sequences of the three schemes are described, and a case study was conducted. The study of the heavy-load power supply mode in remote areas contributes to solving the problem of heavy-load green power consumption in remote areas and promoting the further development of renewable energy.

A Novel Sliding Mode Control Strategy for Remote Area Power Supply Management

This paper introduces a comprehensive Energy Management Strategy (EMS) control for a Remote Area Power Supply (RAPS) system, that includes a wind generation subsystem, a battery bank, and a variable local load. The primary objectives of the EMS control are to meet the load power demand, adapt to wind fluctuations, and extend the battery bank’s lifespan. To achieve these objectives, the EMS controller determines the operation modes of the wind generation and battery bank. The study includes a detailed design of a Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) for the boost converter associated with wind power generation. This study offers valuable insights into controlling standalone wind-dominated systems in remote areas, offering solutions to enhance stability by reducing voltage ripple and improving performance through optimizing settling time. Simulations confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique in managing load and wind variations, outperforming conventional PI controllers.

Thermal-electrical coupling analysis of the static heat pipe cooled reactor under heat pipe failure condition

Heat pipe cooled reactors have gained significant attention as a research hotspot in small nuclear reactor technology due to their miniaturization and mobility features, making them suitable for various special applications like deep-space exploration, underwater scientific research, catalog research, and distributed power supply in remote areas. This study employs COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze the heat transfer and thermoelectric conversion characteristics of a static heat pipe reactor. We investigate the thermal-electrical coupling behaviors under local heat pipe failure condition and examine its combination with the whole thermoelectric system unloading condition. Under steady-state conditions, the heat pipes exhibit isothermal properties of 112.4 °C, 114.8 °C, and 117.3 °C in the side, center, and corner channels, respectively. In the condition of local heat pipe failure, it was assumed that five adjacent heat pipes failed. Consequently, the temperature gradient of the failed heat pipe at the center channel reached 485.1 °C. Despite the local heat pipe failure, the output power of the thermoelectric system still reached 120.8 kW, and the overall thermoelectric conversion efficiency remained at 12.1 %. When considering the coupling of local heat pipe failure with the unloading condition of the thermoelectric system, the maximum temperature of the reactor core increases by 675.8 °C. Additionally, the temperature gradient in the heat pipe adiabatic section rises to 517.3 °C in the center channel. The combined effect of overall temperature increasing and thermoelectric system unloading leads to open voltages ranging from 140.0 V to 149.0 V in the thermoelectric subsystem at different ports. The research findings suggest that the system temperature rise caused by the whole system unloading condition is more significant. Thus, considering the coupling effect of thermoelectric system unloading and heat pipe failure condition is conservative and crucial for a comprehensive analysis of the system behaviors. These results contribute to the understanding and optimization of heat pipe cooled reactors for various specialized applications.

Improvement of frequency response in remote area power supply systems using ultracapacitor with enhanced inertia support controller

Improvement of frequency response in remote area power supply systems using ultracapacitor with enhanced inertia support controller

Role of a Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell in Remote Area Power Supply: A Review

This manuscript presents a thorough review of unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs) and their importance in Remote Area Power Supply (RAPS). In RAPS systems that utilize solar and hydrogen power, which typically include photovoltaic modules, a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, hydrogen gas storage, and PEM fuel cells, the cost of these systems is currently higher compared to conventional RAPS systems that employ diesel generators or batteries. URFCs offer a potential solution to reduce the expenses of solar hydrogen renewable energy systems in RAPS by combining the functionalities of the electrolyzer and fuel cell into a single unit, thereby eliminating the need to purchase separate and costly electrolyzer and fuel cell units. URFCs are particularly well-suited for RAPS applications because the electrolyzer and fuel cell do not need to operate simultaneously. In electrolyzer mode, URFCs function similarly to stand-alone electrolyzers. However, in fuel cell mode, the performance of URFCs is inferior to that of stand-alone fuel cells. The presented review summarizes the past, present, and future of URFCs with details on the operating modes of URFCs, limitations and technical challenges, and applications. Solar hydrogen renewable energy applications in RAPS and challenges facing solar hydrogen renewable energy in the RAPS is discussed in detail.

Analysis and design of wind energy conversion with storage system

This paper discusses about remote area power supply (RAPS) system for the conversion of power from wind into electrical energy along with supercapacitor and battery storage to supply main load and dump load. Generation of power during varying loads and fluctuating wind is difficult to control. The wind power generating system have difficulty to supply the required amount of reactive power. This is compensated using synchronous condenser. The performance related to the energy storage system is improved using energy management algorithm. The wind power is converted to dc using bridge rectifier and buck boost converter. Voltage controlled converter is designed to convert dc to ac to operate in synchronization with grid voltage. Real power obtained from the wind energy conversion system and the reactive power are controlled separately to provide support for the frequency and voltage control. The system is simulated to show the performance of the developed system.

Tailor-designed vanadium alloys for hydrogen storage in remote area and movable power supply systems

Vanadium-based alloys are potential materials for hydrogen storage applications in Remote Area Power Supply (RAPS) and Movable Power Supply (MPS). In this study, V80Ti8Cr12 alloys are tailor-made to meet the RAPS and MPS working conditions (293–323 K and 0.2–2 MPa). The effects of pulverization methods and particle sizes on the alloy's hydrogen storage properties have been systematically investigated. In addition, a novel Pressure-Composition-Isotherm approach is employed for the first time to accurately evaluate the hydrogen storage capacities. The reduction of particle size enhances the absorption kinetics due to the increased surface area. However, mechanical pulverization causes lattice distortion that decreases the hydrogen absorption capacity and desorption rate. In contrast, hydrogen embrittlement can effectively pulverize the alloys without generating lattice distortion. The results reveal that 5 mm sample, which is simply subjected to hydrogen embrittlement, achieves the largest usable hydrogen storage capacity up to 2.1 wt% and the fastest hydrogen desorption rate of ∼4 sccm/g that is nine times quicker than required for RAPS and MPS applications. After 500 cycles, the 5 mm alloy retains 90 % of its capacity, demonstrating excellent durability. Hence, 5 mm hydrogen-embrittled V80Ti8Cr12 alloy is an ideal hydrogen storage material in RAPS and MPS systems.

Active hybrid energy storage management in a wind-dominated standalone system with robust fractional-order controller optimized by Gases Brownian Motion Optimization Algorithm

Accessibility to sustainable and reliable electrical energy for remote area power supply (RAPS) systems under high penetration levels of wind energy requires adopting appropriate technologies and controllers. In recent years, energy storage has gained significant attention for smoothing inherent voltage and power fluctuations of standalone systems. This paper presents a filtration-based fractional-order PI (FOPI) controller optimized by Gases Brownian Motion Optimization (GBMO) algorithm to manage an active battery-supercapacitor hybrid energy storage system (HESS) in a wind-dominated RAPS system. The GBMO algorithm has a high accuracy and convergence rate among optimization algorithms introduced in recent years. Moreover, a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) guarantees the wind turbine generator's maximum power point tracking (MPPT) at any wind condition while mitigating its fluctuating torque. The proposed RAPS system uses the advantages of the FOPI controller, the GBMO optimization algorithm, the FLC-based MPPT algorithm, and a high-pass filter to manage precise coordination between different components of the RAPS system. The high-pass filter decouples high and low-frequency voltage oscillations to modify the HESS performance and relieve battery stress, thereby extending its lifespan. The proposed controller's performance and robustness are verified in comparison with an optimal PI controller based on GBMO under turbulent wind speed and load step changes in a detailed model of the system. The results demonstrate the superiority of the optimal FOPI controller over the optimal PI controller.

Techno-economic analysis and dynamic power simulation of a hybrid solar-wind-battery-flywheel system for off-grid power supply in remote areas in Kenya

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the lowest energy access rates globally. The need for transformative energy sources ranging from solar off-grid and mini-grid solutions to hybrid micro-grid power systems has rapidly grown to deliver clean energy admittance. This research proposes a hybrid photovoltaic-wind turbine power system coupled to a hybridized storage system composed of a Lithium-Ion battery and a flywheel storage system which ensures reliability for off-grid electrification for rural and less accessible remote areas of Makueni County in Kenya. The optimal size of the proposed Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) is estimated, using a multi-objective optimization modeling approach, taking into account the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and reliability (energy index of self-reliance (EISR)) of the system as the main objective functions, using epsilon(ε)-constraint technique as the solving approach. A resultant Pareto front is analyzed to obtain the best compromise for COE at 0.519 USD/kWh and reliability indicator, energy index of self-reliance (EISR) at 0.997. The optimal size of the HRES was realized at 26 PV panels (330 W) and 3 wind turbines (1 kW) which satisfies the annual local load requirement of 37.94MWh. Next, the hourly performance of the proposed HRES, under different operating conditions, is evaluated, using a dynamic power control simulation model developed in Matlab-Simulink. The results revealed the proposed off-grid HRES is highly reliable, meeting the load demand sufficiently in all meteorological conditions experienced in the area of study. Furthermore, adopting a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) realized an annual potential of 858kWh storage capacity gain in the battery when coupled with the flywheel storage system.

ЭЛЕКТРОСНАБЖЕНИЕ МАЛОМОЩНЫХ ПОТРЕБИТЕЛЕЙ, УСТАНОВЛЕННЫХ НА НЕФТЕПРОВОДАХ В УДАЛЕННЫХ РАЙОНАХ КРАЙНЕГО СЕВЕРА

Relevance The power outage in remote and inaccessible areas of the Far North can have serious consequences, including technological and ecological disasters, fires, explosions, water pollution, impact on human health, and economic losses. To ensure power supply in harsh climate areas, various autonomous power sources are being considered, including a hydrokinetic turbine installed inside the pipeline, which converts the kinetic energy of the flow into electricity using an electromechanical generator. Object of study The research focuses on the efficient power supply of oil and gas pipeline consumers in remote and inaccessible areas of the Far North. A small-scale hydraulic power station is installed on the bypass line of the oil pipeline. Aim of research The main aim of the study is to assess the feasibility of using a hydrokinetic turbine inside the pipeline for efficient power supply to linear consumers of oil and gas pipelines in remote areas. Research methods During the research, an analysis of the field of existing small-scale power plants was carried out to determine the most promising and efficient approaches to electricity generation. Additionally, a theoretical solution in the form of a hydrokinetic turbine for electricity generation was proposed. Results The results and significance of the research propose the hydrokinetic turbine installed inside the pipeline as an autonomous power source for efficient power supply to consumers. A hybrid power station model is suggested, combining the hydrokinetic turbine with other energy sources to ensure uninterrupted power supply in remote areas. The obtained results have practical significance for the energy provision of oil and gas pipelines in remote and inaccessible areas of the Far North. A new approach to power supply is proposed, which, upon implementation of the developed equipment, can ensure uninterrupted operation of the energy module of the technological equipment installed on the pipelines and help prevent technological disasters and economic losses.

Bi-Level Coordinated Operation Strategy of Multiple Microgrids in Multi-Time Scale

Microgrid (MG) has a significant effect on achieving local consumption of distributed renewable energy, power supply in remote areas, and so on. With the increasing number of MGs, the operation problem of multiple MGs has been more and more researched, while the coordinated operation and the bidding strategy are still the main problems limiting the development of multiple MGs. In this article, a bi-level optimization operation model of multiple MGs is studied. First, the multi-level control structure based on the multi-agent system and the multi-time scale optimization strategy framework of multiple MGs are constructed. The multi-level control structure is divided into three layers, including the device layer, MG layer, and power market layer. Second, the multi-time scale optimized operation model is established, including day-ahead model, intraday model, and real-time model. In addition, a game theory model is proposed to improve the interests or reduce costs of MGs. Finally, a case including three MGs is simulated and analyzed. The results show that the proposed multi-level structure of multiple MGs and multi-time scale optimization strategies are effective.

A Novel Configuration of a Hybrid Offshore Wind-Wave Energy Conversion System and Its Controls for a Remote Area Power Supply

This article aims to develop a novel hybrid offshore wind-wave energy conversion system (HOW-WECS) configuration which can successfully feed a stable power to the customers of remote communities in near-shore areas or remote islands. The proposed configuration uses a minimum number of converters for the integration of the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind energy system with the direct-drive linear permanent magnet generator (DDLPMG) based wave energy system. Advanced control schemes for the DFIG and the DDLPMG are presented to enhance the power extraction from the implemented HOW-WECS. The dynamic and the transient performance of the proposed system and the associated control schemes are tested under various operating scenarios and electrical fault conditions. The dynamic performance was acceptable as the implemented control strategies were able to keep the stator voltage and the stator current of the DFIG sinusoidal and balanced, the frequency excursions are within the acceptable band, and the common ac-bus voltage of the distribution network stable under all operating scenarios. The results prove the effectiveness of the proposed system under transient conditions and the ability of the proposed HOW-WECS to recover quickly to gain its pre-fault conditions once the fault was cleared.

Life cycle assessment of a renewable energy system with hydrogen-battery storage for a remote off-grid community

Remote areas usually do not have access to electricity from the national grid. The energy demand is often covered by diesel generators, resulting in high operating costs and significant environmental impacts. With reference to the case study of Ginostra (a village on a small island in the south of Italy), this paper analyses the environmental sustainability of an innovative solution based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) integrated with a hybrid hydrogen-battery energy storage system. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been carried out to evaluate if and to what extent the RES-based system could bring environmental improvements compared to the current diesel-based configuration. The results show that the impact of the RES-based system is less than 10% of that of the current diesel-based solution for almost all impact categories (climate change, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone formation, acidification, marine and terrestrial eutrophication and fossil resource use). The renewable solution has slightly higher values only for the following indicators: use of mineral and metal resources, water use and freshwater eutrophication. The climate change category accounts for 0.197 kg CO2 eq./kWh in the renewable scenario and 1.73 kg CO2 eq./kWh in the diesel-based scenario, which corresponds to a reduction in GHG emissions of 89%. By shifting to the RES-based solution, about 6570 t of CO2 equivalent can be saved in 25 years (lifetime of the plant). In conclusion, the hydrogen-battery system could provide a sustainable and reliable alternative for power supply in remote areas.

Towards long-period operational reliability of independent microgrid: A risk-aware energy scheduling and stochastic optimization method

Independent microgrids (MGs) consisting of diesel generator (DG), photovoltaic (PV), and energy storage system (ESS) are becoming a cost effective solution for the power supply in remote areas. However, besides PV intermittence, limited reserve and time-consuming replenishment of diesel fuel in remote areas make it challenging to guarantee long-period reliable power supply. In this paper, a risk-aware energy scheduling and stochastic optimization method is proposed to enhance long-period operational reliability of independent MGs. The possible extreme scenarios in the future are considered in an energy scheduling optimization model (ESOM). Based on energy forecast results of PV and loads for the next 7 days, ESOM maximizes the reliable power supply probability by optimizing energy scheduling strategies and reserve requirement for future operational risk simultaneously. Subsequently, a day-ahead stochastic optimization model is established to determine optimal power scheduling strategies of DG, PV, ESS, and flexible loads. The conditional value at risk (CVaR) is used to address the operation risk caused by uncertainties of PV and loads. Compared with traditional day-ahead optimization methods by numerous simulations, the proposed method has less expected load losses and PV curtailment, as well as less total supply-demand deviation. The resistance for future operational risks of independent MGs is therefore significantly enhanced.

Influence of the Phase-Locked Loop on the Design of Microgrids Formed by Diesel Generators and Grid-Forming Converters

In recent years, microgrids (MGs) with renewable energy sources, diesel gen-sets, and droop-controlled converters have been increasingly used to guarantee the continuity of power supply in remote areas. Renewable energy sources have been typically connected to MGs by using an electronic converter that features the two controllers: a current-control loop and a phase-locked loop (PLL). Stability issues related to the PLLs application in electrical grids have already been addressed in the literature; however, dynamic interactions in MGs caused by PLLs have not been sufficiently explored. In this article, an MG that includes a grid-feeding voltage source converter and a grid-forming device (diesel gen-set or converter) is studied. All network elements are modeled analytically and the eigenvalue and participation-factor analyses are used to analyze the interactions between the devices. It is demonstrated that MGs formed by diesel gen-sets have reduced stability limits. Also, it is shown that stability margins of MGs formed by droop-controlled converters can be improved by changing the control parameters (e.g., PLL and internal controllers bandwidths). The main findings and conclusions are summarized and presented as a practical MG design guide. Theoretical results are validated in a lab environment comprising two 15 kW converters and one 75 kW grid emulator.

Thermal analysis and optimization of stand-alone microgrids with metal hydride based hydrogen storage

Stand-alone microgrids, also known as remote area power supply systems, are crucial towards providing electricity access to off-the-grid locations/buildings and for communities trying to become 100% dependent on renewables. Design and development of efficient energy storage system remains a key challenge for the stand-alone microgrid technology. Metal hydride based hydrogen-energy storage system, offering long term energy storage at near ambient conditions and additional benefits of thermal and green hydrogen output, have attracted researchers and industrialists worldwide. In this work, LaNi5 (Lanthanum Penta-nickel) based hydrogen-energy storage system for stand-alone microgrid application is studied. An optimization study is performed to find the optimal sizes of hybrid (solar + wind) and wind microgrid components for the requirements of typical Indian village/UK community of 50 households located at various geographical locations, having diverse solar and wind resources availability. The study ensures that the microgrid satisfies the required electric load but is not over-designed, which is achieved by limiting the two performance parameters i.e., unmet load fraction and excess electricity fraction, below 10%. The optimization study is done based on an hourly analysis for a year using the simulation software HOMER. A thermal analysis is carried out to quantify the additional benefit of thermal output from the energy storage system. Comparisons between the performance and thermal output of optimized hybrid and wind microgrids are carried out for the selected locations. Also, green hydrogen produced for energy storage and available for use at the end of the year is quantified. Upon comparing hybrid (solar PV + wind turbine) and wind energy based microgrids, it is observed that hydrogen storage requirement decreases by up to 97% while using hybrid energy source depending on the location. Besides serving electrical load, the microgrid delivers thermal outputs of about 1kWh and 5kWh for Indian and UK locations respectively.

Design and analysis of genetic algorithm and BP neural network based PID control for boost converter applied in renewable power generations

Recently, solar power generation systems are more and more popular and widely used in grid connected power generation, intelligent buildings, and power supply in remote areas. For photovoltaic panels, due to the influence of factors such as light intensity and ambient temperature, their output voltage and current become uns, and the output voltage of a single photovoltaic panel is considerably low. As a result, Boost circuits are needed for voltage boosting. PID controller is commonly used for Boost converter because it can effectively control the controlled object according to the characteristics of the controlled object. However, when the controlled object is complex and variable, the appropriate parameters are hardly to be selected by experience, and the fixed controller parameters may lead to unexpected performances under different working conditions. Here, a genetic algorithm combined with BP neural network PID control (GA-BPPID) is proposed to improve both dynamic and anti-interference performances of Boost circuit by introducing the global optimization ability of genetic algorithm and the adaptive adjustment characteristics of BP neural network. System modelling and detailed controller design procedures are provided. Finally, the theoretical analysis and controller design are validated by simulation results.

Research on fuzzy PID droop Control method for DC microgrid in island mode

In order to solve the problem of difficult power supply in remote mountainous areas and islands, based on the traditional drooping control of DC microgrid, this paper introduces fuzzy PID to realize the self-adjustment of drooping coefficient, which solves the problem of voltage instability of DC bus caused by external environmental conditions and load mutation. MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation results show that the fuzzy PID droop control can effectively reduce the voltage drop, maintain the bus voltage stability, and realize the current sharing of all distributed power sources in the DC microgrid under the load switching condition.

Safe Bayesian Optimization for Data-Driven Power Electronics Control Design in Microgrids: From Simulations to Real-World Experiments

Micro- and smart grids (MSG) play an important role both for integrating renewable energy sources in electricity grids and for providing power supply in remote areas. Modern MSGs are largely driven by power electronic converters due to their high efficiency and flexibility. Controlling MSGs is a challenging task due to requirements of power availability, safety and voltage quality within a wide range of different MSG topologies resulting in a demand for comprehensive testing of new control concepts during their development phase. This applies, in particular, to data-driven control approaches such as reinforcement learning, of which the stability and operating behavior can hardly be evaluated on an analytical basis. Therefore, the OpenModelica Microgrid Gym (OMG) package, an open-source software toolbox for the simulation and control optimization of MSGs, is proposed. It is capable of modeling and simulating arbitrary MSG topologies and offers a Python-based interface for plug & play controller testing. In particular, the standardized OpenAI Gym interface allows for easy data-driven control optimization. The usage and benefits of OMG for designing and testing data-driven controllers are demonstrated utilizing Bayesian optimization. Both the current and voltage control loops of a voltage source inverter operating in standalone, grid-forming mode for a remote MSG are automatically tuned given an uncertain application environment. Finally, the transfer to real-world laboratory experiments is successfully demonstrated.