Solar Wind Power Research Articles

Coordinated scheduling of wind-solar-hydrogen-battery storage system for techno-economic-environmental optimization of hydrogen production

Green hydrogen production powered by renewable energy emerges as a promising alternative to reduce emissions in the context of the global Net Zero target. Nevertheless, the inherent randomness and intermittency of renewables such as wind and solar cause prominent fluctuations in power supply to water electrolyzers, which pose challenges to their operational stability and efficiency, leading to decreased performance and shortened lifespan. To address these challenges, coordinated operation scheduling of the renewables-hydrogen system with multi-electrolyzers is investigated to enhance the system’s stability and efficiency while contributing to higher cost-effectiveness and sustainability. Meanwhile, the battery storage system is incorporated as a buffer to mitigate the variability of renewable power output and as a supplement to alkaline electrolyzers (AEL). This study also designs a dung beetle optimizer-gated recurrent unit (DBO-GRU) model for wind-solar power forecasting, offering guidance for more efficient and adaptive scheduling of AEL operations. To achieve multi-optimized scheduling of this integrated energy system, a refined rolling optimization strategy is developed, considering technical, economic, and environmental benefits to comprehensively improve green hydrogen production. Case studies using real-world scenarios validate its superiority across multiple time scales. For instance, compared with two other scheduling methods, the results show that the proposed strategy can respectively increase hydrogen production, reduce start-stop cycles, decrease LCOH, and lower carbon emissions by up to 4.19%, 25.40%, 7.98%, and 5.71% over a yearly-long operation. Therefore, the refined rolling optimization strategy simultaneously improves the overall system efficiency, operational cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of hydrogen production, underscoring its advantages and significance.

Vortex wind-solar power plants for energy supply oil and gas field facilities

Vortex wind-solar power plants for energy supply oil and gas field facilities

Multi-microgrids system’s resilience enhancement

Nowadays, electricity consumption is increasing rapidly which leads to conventional power systems exhaustion. Therefore, micro-grids (MGs) implantation can enhance the resilience of power systems by implication of new resources, such as renewable energy sources (solar panel and wind power systems), electric vehicles (EV), and energy storage systems (ESS). This paper proposes a new strategy for optimal power consumption inside one microgrid; then, the approach will be extended to optimize the power consumption to enhance the resilience in the case of multi-MGs systems. The system controller of each microgrid has been implemented using ESP32 microcontroller and Raspberry IP4. The proposed approach intends to enhance the resilience of the system to react to any contingency in the system such as loss of power linkage between MG and the network in case of any natural disaster, especially in the rural area. Two controllers are implemented; the first one ensures MG autonomy by the efficient use of its own sources. The second one handles the system resilience cases by demanding/delivering power from/into neighbor microgrids. Hence, this work enhances the system resilience with an optimal cost. Thus, the MG can offer ancillary services for the neighboring MGs.

A review on application and innovation of wind-solar power generation technologies based on dual carbon targets

With the increasing depletion of traditional energy sources, the greenhouse effect is becoming increasingly serious, mankind is in urgent need of clean and renewable new energy demand is increasing, in order to support the carbon peak&carbon neutral goal, in the future a longer period of time, the improvement of wind power age innovation is the principal procedure for the advancement of numerous nations today, many countries and international organizations to vigorously promote the development of wind power and photovoltaic power generation system will also continue to accelerate the development of new energy generation systems in China. Chinas renewable power age framework, which is basically founded on wind power and will keep on progressing, is being fiercely promoted by many nations and international organizations. This thesis mainly exemplifies the many applications of wind power generation technology in China based on the dual-carbon target through the approaches of literature reviews, and incorporates the inventive innovation model of wind power age innovation and different methodologies. Combined with domestic and international cases, this review summarizes how to solve the dilemmas faced by renewable energy technologies and how to optimize the operation and improve the efficiency of power generation by using innovative technologies, which can provide technical support for the realization of the dual-carbon goal.

Enhancement of Power Quality through the Implementation of a Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Model within Solar-Wind Energy Systems

The generation of electricity is significantly assisted by hybrid solar-wind power systems, which also play a crucial role in the advancement of intelligent grids. Furthermore, the integration of wind and solar energy storage control systems, in conjunction with energy markets, has rendered the electricity grid more economically feasible. To meet the growing demand for electricity, hybrid renewable energy systems connected to microgrids consist of substantial identifying elements. The issue of harmonic distortion in microgrids arising from nonlinear loads is a fundamental area of research. Understanding the impact of microgrids on power quality is also of great importance. This study focuses on enhancing power quality in solar-wind hybrid systems by incorporating emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) methodologies. The proposed approach comprises two main components: (i) detection of distortions caused by voltage fluctuations and (ii) improvement of power quality through an AI-based control system. Initially, power distortions are identified and eliminated using the Enhanced Kalman Filter (EKF) algorithm. A Hybrid Artificial Neural Network with Fuzzy Intelligence (HANFI) model is then developed based on this power data. This model integrates two prominent neural network architectures with fuzzy systems. Experimental validation of the system is conducted using MATLAB, which facilitates the simulation of hybrid energy systems.

Analysis of the Problems and Reasons for the Development of Suzhou Hydrogen Energy Industry and Industrial Policies

In recent years, although there have been some policy plans related to hydrogen energy development in China, a complete fiscal policy system has not yet been established. In policies related to hydrogen energy, we cannot keep up with the times. Only some policies are specifically targeted at solar photovoltaic and wind power generation, and some policies are even temporary. These fiscal policies are severely lagging and lack uniformity, which not only weakens the overall effect of the money supply, but also to some extent hinders the healthy and rapid development of the hydrogen energy industry. In addition, the national development plan, including national and local plans, cannot be well connected, resulting in some policies not forming strong support for hydrogen energy. In these industrial plans, production capacity targets account for the majority, but there is a lack of refinement of utilization targets and little mention of the development balance of the industrial chain.

Amplified positive effects on air quality, health, and renewable energy under China’s carbon neutral target

China pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 to combat global climate change, yet the resulting multi-aspect domestic impacts are not fully analysed due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying anthropogenic–natural interactions. Building an integrated cross-disciplinary modelling framework that can capture the feedbacks of changing aerosols on meteorology, here we highlight the amplified air quality, human health and renewable energy self-reinforcing synergies of China’s carbon neutral target in comparison to the baseline in 2015 and 2060. We find that owing to emissions reduction and more favourable meteorological conditions caused by less aerosol, achieving China’s carbon neutrality target in 2060 reduces national population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations and associated premature deaths by ~39 μg m−3 and 1.13 (95% confidence interval: 0.97–1.29) million while boosting provincial solar (wind) power performance by up to ~10% (~6%) with mostly decreased resource variability in comparison to the 2060 baseline. Enhanced renewable performance along with low-carbon energy transition may provide additional opportunities to address the remaining air pollution and associated human health damages upon achieving carbon neutrality. Our results highlight that global developing and polluting countries’ pledge for carbon neutrality can produce important positive feedbacks between aerosols mitigation, air quality improvement and enhanced renewable energy, which can be amplified via weakened aerosol–meteorology interactions and better atmospheric dispersion.

Renewable-based microgrid energy management: A comprehensive exploration of techniques, strategies, and long-term viability

Renewable-based microgrid energy management systems have emerged as a promising solution to address energy security, sustainability and resilience concerns. This paper offers a comprehensive exploration of the techniques, strategies and long-term viability of such systems. The purpose of the study delves into the implementation of smart management and control systems, which enable real-time data analysis, grid optimization and effective load management, thus maximizing the utilization of renewable energy and enhancing overall system efficiency. It demonstrates the significance of decentralized energy management and its role in fostering energy independence and sustainability within local communities and small-scale industrial setups. The paper further investigates the resilience and redundancy aspects of microgrids, highlighting the importance of autonomous operation during grid failures and emergencies. Thus, the incorporation of energy-efficient practices, appliances and demand-side management strategies to promote energy conservation and reduce overall energy consumption of solar power, wind power, hydro power, biopower and geothermal. The important outreach and training are creating environmentally friendly energy consumption and improving the long-term sustainability of microgrid energy control systems that rely on energy generated from renewable sources. The study seeks to enhance ecological energy handling techniques and the utilization of clean sources of energy by offering knowledge regarding the promise of the microgrid to become a versatile and environmentally friendly power solution via this examination.

An Analysis on Integration of Solar and Wind Power into a Single-Phase Grid with an Optimal Parameterized Fractional-Order Pid Controller

Because of the complimentary nature of solar and wind electricity, hybrid solar-wind power systems are the most effective renewable energy sources. Weather conditions have a significant impact on the amount of power that can be generated by wind and solar photovoltaic systems. Their intermittent nature causes output fluctuations. The purpose of this research is to offer a technique for a hybrid wind–solar power plant that makes the most efficient contribution of renewable energy resources and is backed by technology that allows batteries to store energy. The fact that solar and wind power display power profiles that are complimentary was the driving force for the construction of the hybrid solar–wind power system.

Nanofiltration powered by renewable energy for softening of slightly brackish-nitrated groundwater: Sustainability study

This study focuses on a small-decentralized desalination plant in Sidi Taibi, Morocco, which harnesses photovoltaic (PV) solar energy and wind power to address water and energy interplay. The plant, situated at Al Annouar High School, serves 1200 students, producing 12 m3/d. The local underground water, which is slightly brackish and nitrated, is treated by nanofiltration (NF), using a hybrid renewable energy (RE) system, PV and wind. An electrochemical disinfection method (EDM) is used to disinfect the nanofiltered water before its distribution. The primary goal of this research is to introduce an innovative method for ensuring sustainable water access in isolated areas by combining RE sources with cutting-edge desalination methods. Through our investigation of a compact decentralized desalination facility in Sidi Taibi, Morocco, we illustrate how the utilization PV solar energy and wind power can effectively manage the relationship between water and energy requirements. Our evaluation highlights the economic feasibility, environmental consciousness, and societal benefits of this novel approach, emphasizing its capacity to revolutionize water accessibility in rural settings. Cost evaluations identify configuration 2 (NF90-NF90) as the most economically efficient option, at an estimated cost of 2 US $/m3 (20 MAD/m3). Environmentally, the adoption of renewable energy considerably reduces the carbon footprint, estimated at around 6507.27 to 7374.915 kgCO2 per year. These reductions result from fluctuations in energy consumption, ranging from 1.36 kWh/m3 to 2 kWh/m3, generated by the energy consumption of the immersed pump, H.P pump, and EDM. Notably, the concentrate discharged by the optimized configurations poses no environmental threats, underlining its safety. From a social perspective, the Sidi Taibi plant significantly provides a significant service to the isolated rural region by delivering clean water to a school and contributing to its electricity needs, thereby enhancing overall living conditions. This comprehensive study underscores the multifaceted benefits of renewable energy-driven desalination in remote regions, emphasizing economic viability, environmental responsibility, and improved quality of life.

Optimal allocation of solar PV and wind energy power for radial distribution system using spider monkey optimization

The integration of renewable energy sources, relatable as Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Wind Power, into the radial distribution system has gained significant attention due to their eco-friendly and sustainable attributes. This article presents a narrative advent for achieving the finest share of Solar PV and Wind force power through a radial distribution system using the innovative Spider Monkey Optimization (SMO) algorithm. Multi-objective function for the minimization of distribution loss and voltage deviation with the constraints of power balance equation and boundary limits of voltage and power is considered. The Spider Monkey Optimization algorithm, stimulated via the community activities of spider monkeys, be employed to effectively search for the finest allotment of Solar PV and Wind Energy Power within the distribution network. The SMO algorithm exhibits robustness in handling non-linear and multi-dimensional optimization problems, making it suitable for this complex task. To authorize the usefulness and efficiency of the planned approach, it is functional to standard 33-bus radial division coordination. Comparative analyses of optimization techniques are reported and SMO reduces the losses to 104 KW and the voltage deviation is minimized to 0.0458 pu. The valuable perception is that incorporating Solar PV and Wind Energy sources into radial distribution systems improves the quality.

An Analysis on Integration of Solar and Wind Power into A Single-Phase Grid with an Optimal Parameterized Fractional-Order Pid Controller

Because of the complimentary nature of solar and wind electricity, hybrid solar-wind power systems are the most effective renewable energy sources. Weather conditions have a significant impact on the amount of power that can be generated by wind and solar photovoltaic systems. Their intermittent nature causes output fluctuations. The purpose of this research is to offer a technique for a hybrid wind–solar power plant that makes the most efficient contribution of renewable energy resources and is backed by technology that allows batteries to store energy. The fact that solar and wind power display power profiles that are complimentary was the driving force for the construction of the hybrid solar–wind power system.

Can a new power system create more employment in China?

The transition from the coal-dominated power sector to the renewable energy-dominated new power system will inevitably result in significant social impacts. Taking China as the study case, we employed an integrated methodology combining the energy system optimization model, input‒output and structural path analysis, to explore the employment effects of the new power system, including the energy source, grid, load and storage. The results show that growth in solar power, wind power, energy storage and power transmission and distribution will have positive impacts on employment, while coal power shrinkage will result in negative impacts. Under new power system scenarios, renewable power can create additional 673–730 thousand jobs by 2030 and additional 2,431∼2,706 thousand jobs by 2060 compared with the business-as-usual scenario. However, jobs losses due to coal power shrinkage will reach 665–747 thousand jobs by 2030 and 3,127∼3,398 thousand jobs by 2060 compared with the business-as-usual scenario. In the meantime, power grid and energy storage can create additional 443–604 thousand jobs by 2030 and additional 2,138∼2,764 thousand jobs by 2060. Though the new power system will have positive employment impact in general, social justice should still be considered when there is an employment structure transition alongside the power structure shift.

Modeling, design and optimization of integrated renewable energy systems for electrification in remote communities

Integrated renewable energy systems are becoming a promising option for electrification in remote communities. Integrating multiple renewable energy sources allows the communities to counteract the weaknesses of one renewable energy source with the strengths of another. This study aims to model, design and optimize integrated renewable energy systems consisting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines, a biomass power generator, and storage batteries for applications in remote communities in Canada. Biomass is used as a fuel to produce electricity during periods when solar power and wind power are not capable of meeting the power demand. A methodology is developed to optimize the integrated renewable energy systems design, with the aim of minimizing the net present cost (NPC) and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the energy systems. Results show that the NPC is $3.61 M and the LCOE is $0.255/kWh for an optimized integrated renewable energy system in a sample remote community that has a peak power consumption of 238.7 kW and an average load demand of 2230 kWh/day. Through the present research, the integrated energy systems are evidenced to be an effective option for electrification in remote communities.

Monitoring Energy and Power Quality of the Loads in a Microgrid Laboratory Using Smart Meters

Microgrids are local energy production and distribution networks that can operate independently when disconnected from the main power grid thanks to the integration of power generation systems, energy storage units and intelligent control systems. However, despite their advantages, the optimal energy management of real microgrids remains a subject that requires further investigation. Specifically, an effective management of microgrids requires managing a large number of electrical variables related to the power generated by the microgrid’s power supplies, the power consumed by the loads and the aspects of power quality. This study analyzes how we can monitor different variables, such as the active power, reactive power, power factor, total harmonic distortion and frequency in the loads of a microgrid, using high-precision power meters. Our empirical study, conducted using a functional microgrid comprising a hybrid wind–solar power system and several household appliances, demonstrates the feasibility of using low-cost and high-performance power meters with IoT functionality to collect valuable power quality and energy consumption data that can be used to control the microgrid operation.

Potential Revenue from Reserve Market Participation in Wind Power- and Solar Power-Dominated Electricity Grids: The Near-Term, Mid-Term, and Long-Term

As electricity systems become increasingly dominated by variable inverter-based generation (such as wind and solar photovoltaics (PV)), additional sources of variability appear, while the share of dispatchable thermal power plants decreases. Maintaining a stable grid frequency requires new sources of inertia to slow the frequency changes, as well as new sources of reserve power to counter the imbalances. This work uses a linear optimization modeling approach to analyze the reserve market of the electricity system during the transition to a carbon-free system with high shares of variable electricity generation. The modeling is performed for three regional contexts and with varying degrees of available flexibility technologies. As for the reserve supply, batteries, electrolyzers, electric boilers and heat pumps for district heating, curtailed wind and solar power, and hydropower and thermal power plants are all included. The results indicate that of these suppliers of reserves, the introduction of grid-scale batteries into the system drastically reduces the reserve market size. Only early in the transition is revenue from the reserve market greater than 5% of the total revenue for any technology. While the demand for reserves increases as the share of solar PV and wind power increases, the modeling reveals that access to flexible loads, storage units, and emulated inertia from wind power also increases. Depending on the choice of flexibility measures available, demand-side participation could play a major role in minimizing the cost of grid stability in the future.

Optimal allocation of energy storage capacity for hydro-wind-solar multi-energy renewable energy system with nested multiple time scales

Multi-energy supplemental renewable energy system with high proportion of wind-solar power generation is an effective way of “carbon neutral”, but the randomness and volatility of wind-solar power generation seriously affects the safe and stable operation of power grid. With the development of energy storage technology, this problem can be effectively solved by configuring energy storage, but how to reasonably configure energy storage is one of the key issues due to the expensive energy storage. To this end, a multi-timescale nested energy storage capacity optimization model for multi-energy supplemental renewable energy system with pumped storage hydro plant based on a three-battery group control operation strategy is proposed. First, the electrochemical energy storage is added to the supplemental renewable energy system containing hydro-wind-solar to form a hybrid energy storage system with pumped storage hydro units, and its group control strategy and charging/discharging coordinated operation are investigated. Then, a double-layer energy storage capacity optimization model nested in multiple time scales is developed. The inner layer optimizes hydropower and pumped storage output to smooth out the more fluctuating wind power output with large time scales. The outer layer optimizes energy storage taking into account factors such as output deviation, cost, attenuation, and dynamic prediction life to smooth out the less volatile and smaller time-scale wind power. Finally, simulation demonstrates that the proposed model can make full use of the flexible regulation capability of pumped storage hydro units and the fast response capability of batteries to maximize the fluctuation of the supplemental system into the grid, and further reduce the peaking pressure of the receiving end of the grid. In addition, the superiority of the proposed three-battery grouping strategy over the traditional battery control method in terms of saving investment cost and mitigating battery life loss is also verified. The advantages of the strategy in terms of carbon reduction and cleaner production are also illustrated in quantifiable terms.

Improving frequency regulation for future low inertia power grids: a review

The modern power system is witnessing an unprecedented increase in the penetration of renewable variable generation (VG) sources. Increased uptake of converter interfaced VG like solar PV and wind power while replacing conventional synchronous generators (SGs) introduces new challenges to grid operators in terms of dynamically handling frequency stability and regulation. Reducing the number of SGs while increasing non-synchronous, inertia-less converter interfaced VG reduces grid natural inertia, which is critical for maintaining frequency stability. To cure inertia deficiency, researchers, broadly, have proposed implementing supplemental control strategies to VG sources or energy storage systems to emulate natural inertia (virtual inertia (VI)). Alternatively, VG sources can be operated below their maximum power point (deloaded mode), making available a reserve margin which can rapidly be deployed in case of a contingency with the help of power electronic devices, to provide fast frequency response. This paper reviews recent solutions proposed in literature to address the low inertia problem to improve frequency stability. Additionally, it highlights the formulation of an optimization problem for VI sizing and placement as well as techniques applied in solving the optimization problem. Finally, gaps in literature that require further research were identified

Economic analysis of hybrid solar-wind power system for application in Heipang community

Economic feasibility is one of the major criteria for selecting energy options for application in any location. One of the main drawbacks of renewable energy technology is its initial cost of investment which results in high energy tariffs making it unaffordable for low-income earners. The cost of renewable energy depends on many factors such as the potential of the renewable resources of the site and government policies on renewable energy technology. This paper aimed to determine the annualized cost of a designed hybrid solar-wind power system for the Heipang community to meet a load demand of 158.3kW and the sensitivity analysis of bank loan interest rate, inflation rate, day of autonomy, depth of battery discharge, and wind turbine rated velocity on the investment payback time. The cost of the components of the designed system was obtained from vendors and a techno-economic analysis was done using MATLAB software. Results show that the annualized cost of the hybrid solar-wind power system is ₦ 52,268,266.97, with battery, solar, and wind power systems taking 85%, 8%, and 7% of the total annualized cost respectively, and Levelized cost of energy ₦ 154.53/kWh. The analysis further shows that for ₦ 185.00, N 160.00, and ₦ 127.00 per kWh cost of energy at a 19% inflation rate and 20% bank interest rate, the investment payback times are 8.3, 9.5 and 11.9 years respectively, and 9.8, 11.4 and 14.3 years respectively. Information from this work may help policy-makers and would-be investors make informed decisions on renewable energy technology investment.

Does intermittent electricity jeopardise grid stability?

Intermittent sources of electricity (solar photovoltaic and wind power) supply electricity grids in very different ways to dispatchable sources (hydro, nuclear or fossil fuel power plants). This article sets out these specific features and gives some indications of the solutions that will need to be implemented to guarantee grid balance in the event of strong growth in intermittent sources.