Power Generation Sources Research Articles

Distributed generation for Microgrid technology

Distributed Generation (DG) refers to the generation of electricity from various small-scale sources of energy such as solar panels, wind turbines, or micro-turbines, located near the consumers. Microgrids (MGs), on the other hand are localized and autonomous electrical systems that can operate independently or in connection with the main power grid. The integration of DG within MGs has gained significant attention due to its potential benefits. This arrangement allows for increased efficiency, improved reliability, and enhanced resilience in the delivery of electricity. Furthermore, it enables the utilization of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs), reducing reliance on conventional fossil fuel-based power generation. In an MG with DG, the power generation sources are dispersed throughout the grid, supplying electricity to nearby consumers. Depending on the availability and generation capacity of each source, the MG can efficiently balance the energy supply and demand. In cases where excess generation occurs, the surplus energy can be exported back to the primary grid or stored for future use. The decentralized nature of distributed generation in MGs also contributes to more excellent grid stability and reliability. If any part of the main grid experiences a power outage, the MG can continue to operate independently, providing uninterrupted electricity to the connected consumers. This feature is especially valuable in remote areas, critical facilities, or during emergencies, where maintaining a reliable power supply is essential.

California’s electric grid nexus with the environment

Abstract California’s electric grid has established and allowed for a large swathe of land with varying topography, geology, and biota to become inhabited and maintained at a level of modernization that most Americans have become accustomed to in the 21st century. However, while the residents, commerce, and overall populations of both have increased and progressed, the energy infrastructure that supports them has not. Instead, in some instances, the transmission infrastructure has ignited fires in the state’s wildlands – some with devastating effects – the point sources of power production have aged and not necessarily kept up with a shifting climate or demanded load, and new sources of power generation and energy storage have not penetrated the energy marketplace fast enough or to great effect. This paper delineates just a portion of some of California’s trials in the coming years as it transitions to a decarbonized electric grid and light-duty fleet. Most calculations were carried out using data prior to December 31, 2019 and generically treats succeeding data (2020–2021) as unrepresentative of former years or unlikely to be accurate of the years succeeding the Corona Virus Outbreak of 2020.

Matrices for radioactive waste immobilization: a review

Nuclear energy is considered a clean, reliable, and an inexhaustible energy source for power generation. Nuclear power is harnessed from nuclear fission reactions in a dedicated power plant. The by-products (produced in the nuclear power plant) are radioactive and pose a threat to the environment. The safe disposal of nuclear waste is vital to ensure the sustainable use of the nuclear energy. The immobilization of radioactive waste before final disposal is essential for the interim storage and transportation. This review summarizes the recent work on glass, ceramics, and glass–ceramics matrices to immobilize high-level waste. The synthesis methods, leaching behavior, and radiation resistance of matrices are discussed briefly.

Techno-Economic and Environmental Evaluation of a Solar Energy System on a Ro-Ro Vessel for Sustainability

The increased use of fossil fuels in transportation is considered a major cause of environmental pollution and climate change on a global scale. In international shipping, regulations and strict measures have been introduced by the International Maritime Organization to achieve the goal of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, with the envisage to reach net-zero GHG emissions close to 2050. Renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, can be implemented on new-build or existing marine vessels as an effective alternative source for auxiliary power generation, reducing the dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to decarbonization. In the present paper, a sustainable retrofit design using PV panels on an existing Ro-Ro vessel is analyzed for its feasibility. The proposed system is used for energy production during ship cargo operations and takes advantage of the large space area on the upper deck and its continuous exposure to sunlight during its voyage. To investigate the effectiveness of the PV system as an alternative to fossil fuel consumption, an environmental and economic evaluation is performed. According to the results obtained, the solar PV system can provide approximately 88% of the required energy annually for lighting during ship cargo operations, with the corresponding fuel savings and emission reductions, making the investment economically feasible, with a high potential to contribute to environmental sustainability.

Optimizing Hybrid Photovoltaic/Battery/Diesel Microgrids in Distribution Networks Considering Uncertainty and Reliability

Due to the importance of the allocation of energy microgrids in the power distribution networks, the effect of the uncertainties of their power generation sources and the inherent uncertainty of the network load on the problem of their optimization and the effect on the network performance should be evaluated. The optimal design and allocation of a hybrid microgrid system consisting of photovoltaic resources, battery storage, and a backup diesel generator are discussed in this paper. The objective of the problem is minimizing the costs of power losses, energy resources generation, diesel generation as backup resource, battery energy storage as well as load shedding with optimal determination of the components energy microgrid system include its installation location in the 33-bus distribution network and size of the PVs, batteries, and Diesel generators. Additionally, the effect of uncertainties in photovoltaic radiation and network demand are evaluated on the energy microgrid design and allocation. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to explore the full range of possibilities and determine the optimal decision based on the variability of the inputs. For an accurate assessment of the system’s reliability, a forced outage rate (FOR) analysis is performed to calculate potential photovoltaic losses that could affect the operational probability of the system. The cloud leopard optimization (CLO) algorithm is proposed to optimize this optimization problem. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in terms of accuracy and convergence speed is verified compared to other state-of-the-art optimization methods. To further improve the performance of the proposed algorithm, the reliability and uncertainties of photovoltaic resource production and load demand are investigated.

Effect of Pressure and Turbulence Intensity on the Heat Flux During Flame Wall Interaction (FWI)

Combustion applications such as internal combustion engines are a major source of power generation. Renewable alternative fuels like hydrogen and ammonia promise the potential of combustion in future power applications. Most power applications encounter flame wall interaction (FWI) during which high heat losses occur. Investigating heat loss during FWI has the potential to identify parameters that could lead to decreasing heat losses and possibly increasing the efficiency of combustion applications. In this work, a study of FWI (CH4-air mixture) in a constant volume chamber, with a head-on quenching configuration, at high pressure in both laminar and turbulent conditions is presented. High-speed surface temperature measurement using thin junction thermocouples coupled with high-speed flow field characterization using particle image velocimetry (PIV) are used simultaneously to investigate the effect of pressure during FWI (Pint) and turbulence intensity (q) on the heat flux peak (QP). In laminar combustion regimes, it is found that QP is proportional to Pint0.35. The increase in q is shown to affect both Pint and QP. Finally, comparing QP versus Pint for both laminar and turbulent combustion regimes, it is found that an increase in q leads to an increase in QP (b = 0.76).

Design and Optimization of Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Alternator for Onboard Power Generation in Two-Wheeler Applications

The Main motive of this work is to develop an Axial flux Permanent magnet alternator for on board power generation source for an electric bike. An average electric bike having a range of 40KM to 60KM per full charge will take an average of 3 hours to charge. In the present work, an onboard power generator is modeled for an electric bike which has its very own power generation system. An axial flux permanent magnet alternator is coupled to pedal and whenever the pedaling action is performed, the alternator produces power to recharge battery or also run the hub motor of the electric bike depending upon the required output voltage with the help of relay Switch. The mathematical modelling and design of the axial flux permanent magnet alternator is done using Matlab and Solidworks. Axial flux alternators are increasingly being used for large-and small-scale applications because of innovation, new material research, and manufacturing techniques that save time. Depending on the needed output power, the axial flux alternator can be built with or without an iron core and with “n” numbers of stator and rotor. The surface mounted permanent magnet technique and several one side and both side topologies with and without iron cores were designed in this work. Small-scale E-bikes employ the AFPM alternator to generate power onboard. Depending on the application, the power generated may be supplied back to a BLDC motor or used to recharge batteries. The respective results were discussed in this paper.

Fabricating Lithium Metal Foils with Desired Morphology

Rechargeable lithium batteries (RLB) are the hope for the next generation energy storage and power source systems due to the promise to achieve the highest specific energy. Reliable performance of RLB, particularly with long lifespan, requires high quality lithium metal anode that can withstand repetitive stripping and deposition during cycle aging. Fabricating lithium metal of desired thickness is thus critical to enable and achieve high specific energy design. Morphology of lithium metal foil with densely packed large grains is desired. To consistently reach the desired morphology in practice is however difficult. Such a difficulty challenges us from the lack of proper understanding of lithium deposition at the fundamental level. Recent understanding on lithium nucleation and growth gave us a new perspective to formulate and achieve proper morphological control, which might lead to a new pathway for desired lithium metal foil fabrication technique.

Modeling High-Power Density Ceria-Based Direct Ammonia Fueled SOFC Stacks for Mobile Applications

The transport sector currently accounts for 23% of the global energy-related CO2 emissions, with an average annual growth of +1.8% since 2010, which is faster than for any other end-use sector [1]. Decarbonization of the mobility sector is particularly challenging due to the highly strenuous space, weight and efficiency demands for a power generation system applied for vehicle propulsion. Batteries have established themselves as a solution for the electric propulsion of passenger cars. However, their low energy densities and high recharging durations hinders their deployment in vehicles with large gross weight including trucks, ships, trains and airplanes [2, 3]. High-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) possess many advantageous characteristics compared to polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells that can be effectively exploited in a vehicle, such as high efficiency, fuel flexibility and impurity tolerance. SOFCs can be directly run with a great variety of fuels, such as NH3, which is currently regarded to be a very promising energy and hydrogen carrier, mostly due to its carbon neutrality, favorable volumetric energy density (12.7 MJ/L) and transportability [4].In this contribution, we assess the performance of intermediate temperature direct NH3-fueled SOFC stacks as a highly efficient power generation source for mobile applications by means of a detailed multi-physics modeling approach, comprising investigations on electrode, button cell, and stack scales. The modeled SOFC stack is intended to be integrated in a hybrid system concept by coupling with a gas turbine.Firstly, a 1D model of cell containing a gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) electrolyte is developed based on an established multi-scale computational framework [2]. The electrochemical sub-model is subsequently parametrized and validated through reproducing measurements collected on a high-power density Ni-GDC/GDC/SSC-GDC cell. In order to physically account for the electronic leakage current due to mixed ionic-electronic conduction (MIEC) properties of the ceria-based electrolyte, the model contains the implementation of a distributed charge-transfer model that solves individual electronic and ionic conduction pathways across all constituents of the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) [5]. The decomposition of NH3 on the surface of the Ni particles in the fuel electrode is modeled based on a thermodynamically consistent 12-step elementary kinetic mechanism [6]. The thermo-catalytic and electrochemical sub-frameworks are then integrated into a 3D stack model, which is built upon a lightweight design.The numerical simulations indicate that the performance of the SOFC stack based on the anode-supported GDC-electrolyte cell design is not only highly sensitive to the temperature, but also to the selection of the absolute pressure level. Results suggest the stack to reach a very promising performance in the intermediate temperature range with a predicted ASR of ~0.7 Ω cm2 at 550 °C, pure NH3 feed and 50% anode off-gas recirculation. By predicting species, temperature and current density distributions across the stack, the developed model proves itself to be highly instrumental for the identification of design points that provide a feasible trade-off between performance and safety metrics.

Wind, solar and biogas power generation in water-stressed areas of Morocco considering water and biomass availability constraints and carbon emission limits

The energy sector of Morocco relies mainly on imported fossil fuels. The expensive import bills associated with fossils, as well as the global drive for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, have compelled the country to consider the utilization of renewable energy resources such as hydro, wind, and solar for energy generation. Power generation from wind and solar is highly intermittent hence require storage systems to guarantee supply security. Considering the abundant nature of sheep rearing in Morocco, power generation from sheep dung through anaerobic digestion (AD) can serve as an alternative power generation source to alleviate the intermittent situations of wind and solar since biomass supply for AD is not affected by the weather. Therefore, this paper evaluates the capability of hybrid power generation, using AD of sheep dung, wind, and solar in two selected areas of the Fez-Meknes region in Morocco. A mixed-integer linear programming model was implemented in A Mathematical Programming Language (AMPL) using a linear solver of CPLEX. The results of the analysis indicated that only standalone wind generation and hybrid wind/PV/biogas generation are able to meet the total load demand of the two study locations. The hybrid generation resulted in a total carbon emission of 349.30 and 3871.60 g/year at a cost of 13,088.38 and 145,394.13 $/year for Tazouta and Fez respectively in supplying the whole load of the study locations, whiles the standalone wind generator resulted in a total carbon emission of 274 and 2603 g/year at a total cost of 23,352 and 239,500 $/year for satisfying the electric load of these two regions respectively. The results shows that, hybrid solar/wind/PV is the most ideal for supplying power to the two study locations in terms of cost and load satisfaction, while the wind is the most ideal in terms of load satisfaction and carbon emissions.

Recent Strategies for Lithium-Ion Conductivity Improvement in Li7La3Zr2O12 Solid Electrolytes.

The development of solid electrolytes with high conductivity is one of the key factors in the creation of new power-generation sources. Lithium-ion solid electrolytes based on Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZ) with a garnet structure are in great demand for all-solid-state battery production. Li7La3Zr2O12 has two structural modifications: tetragonal (I41/acd) and cubic (Ia3d). A doping strategy is proposed for the stabilization of highly conductive cubic Li7La3Zr2O12. The structure features, density, and microstructure of the ceramic membrane are caused by the doping strategy and synthesis method of the solid electrolyte. The influence of different dopants on the stabilization of the cubic phase and conductivity improvement of solid electrolytes based on Li7La3Zr2O12 is discussed in the presented review. For mono-doping, the highest values of lithium-ion conductivity (~10-3 S/cm at room temperature) are achieved for solid electrolytes with the partial substitution of Li+ by Ga3+, and Zr4+ by Te6+. Moreover, the positive effect of double elements doping on the Zr site in Li7La3Zr2O12 is established. There is an increase in the popularity of dual- and multi-doping on several Li7La3Zr2O12 sublattices. Such a strategy leads not only to lithium-ion conductivity improvement but also to the reduction of annealing temperature and the amount of some high-cost dopant. Al and Ga proved to be effective co-doping elements for the simultaneous substitution in Li/Zr and Li/La sublattices of Li7La3Zr2O12 for improving the lithium-ion conductivity of solid electrolytes.

Offshore Wind Power Potential in Brazil: Complementarity and Synergies

Renewable sources stand out in energy planning due to their contribution to greenhouse gas emission reduction when displacing fossil fuels and the enhancement of energy security through the diversification of the energy matrix. Understanding and optimizing the complementary operative synergy between different energy sources over time and space leads to efficient policies. This article uses an hourly Pearson’s correlation coefficient to explore the complementarity between offshore wind and other power generation sources in the Brazilian matrix. An analysis of offshore wind power feasibility in the Brazilian power system will be conducted, considering environmental implications, synergies with the oil industry, costs, and complementarities with other energy sources. The methodology uses an optimization model to minimize costs and optimize the production mix while considering the time series of renewable energy, subject to demand constraints, renewable resource availability, reservoir storage, capacity limitations, and thermal generation. The study concludes that the northeast and southeast electrical subsystems must start offshore wind installation in Brazil due to their complementarity with hydropower production, synergy with the oil and gas industry, and proximity to the largest consumption spots.

Energy, exergy, and economic evaluation of integrated waste incineration facility with a thermal power plant

Increased waste production and poor waste management have created severe negative environmental impacts. Waste incineration is a way to produce energy and decreases environmental impacts; however, this technique cannot be considered independently as a source of power generation because of its low performance. This study aims to evaluate the integration of a waste incineration system with a natural gas-fired power plant in terms of energy, exergy, and economic points. As a result of the proposed configurations, in addition to promoting efficiency and net power production, some equipment is removed from power plants. Efforts are made to increase the accuracy of simulation results by paying attention to the combustion process in boilers and predicting the actual working condition of feed water heaters. Results showed that the hybrid scheme improves electricity generation by up to 2.87 MW and boosts energy, and exergy efficiency by up to 0.32%, and 0.3%, respectively.

Multi-level coordinated control of islanded DC microgrid integrated with electric vehicle charging stations with fault ride-through capability

This paper presents an integrated control framework for islanded DC microgrid (MG) with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, energy storage unit, and AC/DC loads. The proposed DC MG consists of two DC buses with different voltages, photovoltaic (PV) arrays as intermittent power generation sources, energy storage, three EV charging stations, and a three-phase inverter to power time-varying three-phase loads. Control strategies are proposed to select the charge-discharge mode of EVs that does not negatively affect the MG, as well as coordinate the production and demand management. A central control system enables the operation of MG under different working conditions by managing generation, consumption, and energy storage and also monitors the performance of the charging/discharging unit and the issues relevant to commands of different charging/discharging programs. A specific control strategy has also been implemented to provide fault ride-through (FRT). As a result, the MG feeds its loads in any operating condition. Nonlinear simulations are carried out in MATLAB/SIMULINK software to show that the proposed control methods easily and effectively achieve all objectives, including supplying DC/AC loads, managing battery/resources/charging stations, and detecting/dealing with AC faults.

Electrification of Offshore Oil and Gas Production: Architectures and Power Conversion

Subsea oil and gas (O&G) exploration demands significantly high power to supply the electrical loads for extraction and pumping of the oil and gas. The energy demand is usually met by fossil fuel combustion-based platform generation, which releases a substantial volume of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane into the atmosphere. The severity of the resulting adverse environmental impact has increased the focus on more sustainable and environment-friendly power processing for deepwater O&G production. The most feasible way toward sustainable power processing lies in the complete electrification of subsea systems. This paper aims to dive deep into the technology trends that enable an all-electric subsea grid and the real-world challenges that hinder the proliferation of these technologies. Two main enabling technologies are the transmission of electrical power from the onshore electrical grid to the subsea petroleum installations or the integration of offshore renewable energy sources to form a microgrid to power the platform-based and subsea loads. This paper reviews the feasible power generation sources for interconnection with subsea oil installations. Next, this interconnection’s possible power transmission and distribution architectures are presented, including auxiliary power processing systems like subsea electric heating. As the electrical fault is one of the major challenges for DC systems, the fault protection topologies for the subsea HVDC architectures are also reviewed. A brief discussion and comparison of the reviewed technologies are presented. Finally, the critical findings are summarized in the conclusion section.

Technology Focus: Health, Safety, and Environment (August 2023)

This year’s HSE Technical Focus feature showcases environmental sustainability. Offshore hybrid renewable power generation, electrically driven well abandonment in urban and natural settings, and the use of remotely controlled, low-carbon-footprint underwater intervention/inspection drones demonstrate HSE- and sustainability-conscious planning and successful implementation in the field. Environmental, social, and governance guidelines, as well as regulatory and sustainability-related frameworks, provide guidance to achieve the social license to operate. Risk management and stakeholder engagement practices help predict nontechnical risks and keep the community informed. In paper SPE 204901, which involves using renewable energy sources for offshore oil and gas platform power generation, one operator proposes harnessing wind energy in weak-wind areas by replacing gas-turbine generators with offshore wind turbines adapted to low-wind-speed regions, thereby lowering maintenance costs and carbon exposure. In paper OTC 31394, a service company, acting as project management lead, and an operator collaborate to use fully electrified equipment to abandon wells in sensitive areas such as urban and natural settings where smell and noise are significant issues. In paper OTC 32481, an operator advocates the use of underwater intervention/inspection drones for offshore projects and describes their advantages, including operational risk reduction, lower carbon footprint, lower costs, reduced intervention time, and improved quality and frequency of inspection data. One of the recommended-reading papers, SPE 210788, describes how an operator advocates for mental health or “mental hygiene,” a “preventive measure for sustaining good emotional health” to mitigate workers’ distress in the oil and gas industry and an indication of the growing emphasis upon total wellness. Many more examples of recent notable achievements in HSES can be found in the list of recommended additional reading and in the OnePetro online library. Knowledge sharing, on the local and global levels, encourages collaboration and solutions generation. See the SPE Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability website for more information and to learn how you could be involved. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 210788 Shifting Paradigm of Mental Hygiene—A Novel Approach To Mitigate Workers’ Distress in the Oil and Gas Industry by Adeela Khalid, RPM, et al. SPE 212791 An Improved Work Flow in Mass-Balance Approach for Estimating Regional Methane Emission Rate Using Satellite Measurements by Jeffrey Y. Bian, University of Alberta, et al. SPE 210245 Insights From Benchmarking Methane Emissions of Oil and Natural Gas Production in the United States by Tom Curry, ERM, et al.

A State-of-the-Art Review on Optimization Methods and Techniques for Economic Load Dispatch with Photovoltaic Systems: Progress, Challenges, and Recommendations

Fossil fuel is considered to be the primary power generation source. As this source is not that eco- and environmentally friendly, researchers are constantly searching for an alternative source for power generation. Renewable energy has drawn much attention in this regard in recent times. For solving economic load dispatch issues, numerous operational constraints must be considered. Due to the restructuring of the power sector, there is competition between different power systems organizations. Increasing fossil fuel costs drive power-producing utilities to adopt a cost-effective technique for dispatching actual power output. Due to the presence of nonlinearity and non-convexity in the fuel of cost function of generators, the economic load dispatch is often considered a complex optimization problem. Many researchers have been optimizing fuel costs to solve the economic power dispatch problem. This paper offers a critical analysis of ELD that takes into account both traditional and non-traditional energy sources. The review covers a variety of algorithms, including hybrid algorithms for integrating renewable energy sources (RES). The paper also focuses on several restricted optimization techniques and contemporary algorithms including PSO, Jaya, GWO, SMO, TLBO, Rao, MRao-2, and MFO to reduce the fuel cost of generation units using large-scale solar PV. Moreover, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of economic load dispatch and provides valuable insights for electricity researchers and practitioners. It also discusses future technologies and next steps in the field of ELD, emphasizing the need for more environmentally friendly and cost-effective power generation and distribution solutions. Overall, the paper demonstrates the benefits of renewable energy sources as well as optimization techniques for creating a more sustainable and efficient power generation system.

Innovative Thinking Drives Emissions Mitigation

_ The oil and gas industry walks a fine line between providing the energy supplies demanded by a growing global population and addressing the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, mainly methane. While the industry has made gains in many areas, critics have flagged concerns that the current pace of emissions mitigation needs to be faster and called for acceleration of the process. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), methane is responsible for approximately 30% of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, making it the second-largest contributor to climate change behind carbon dioxide. Methane is released during oil and gas production processes, and the industry accounts for about a quarter of the global anthropogenic methane emitted into the atmosphere. With increasing recognition of their negative environmental impacts, these emissions are now under greater scrutiny by governments worldwide as they strive toward cleaner power generation sources. As a result, energy companies continue to find ways to effectively manage and reduce their methane emissions to remain compliant with new regulations. According to nonprofit organizations Clean Air Task Force and Ceres, industry efforts are delivering results. An analysis assessed the production-based emissions of more than 300 US producers, finding that the methane emissions intensity of natural gas production and the greenhouse-gas emissions intensity of oil and gas production vary dramatically across companies. The intensity of methane and greenhouse-gas emissions from the oil and gas sector declined 28% and 30%, respectively, between 2019 and 2021 among the largest producers in the country, the report said. However, according to the IEA, overall progress could have been faster. In a special report, the agency looked at the investment required to deliver a sharp reduction in emissions by 2030, finding that if the industry spent $75 billion—about 2% of its 2022 net income—to curb methane emissions through 2030, it would keep the sector on a pathway to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The agency also reported that methane abatement is one of the most cost-effective measures to cut emissions and would generate about $45 billion from the sale of captured methane (Fig. 1). Leak Detection Comparisons Promising advances in technology have improved methane measurement and leak detection. Traditionally a laborious and error-prone task, leak-detection technologies are undergoing a revolution. Drone technology, satellite surveillance, and infrared cameras are emerging as powerful tools in the industry’s arsenal to pinpoint leaks and fix them swiftly. Companies like Shell and BP have committed to routine checks via drones and cameras to spot leaks more accurately and promptly. By employing these technologies, the industry can reduce its environmental footprint and save valuable natural resources, transforming “waste” methane into a valuable energy source. ExxonMobil deployed new technology to expand measurement and mitigation of methane emissions and reduced methane emissions intensity from operated assets by more than 40% as of year-end 2021 vs. 2016 levels in line with greenhouse gas emission reduction plans. In its 2023 Advancing Climate Solutions Progress Report, the supermajor also said that it increased the amount it intends to invest through 2027 on lower-emission initiatives to approximately $17 billion, up by nearly 15%.

The Combustion Profiles of the Lafia-Obi Coals: Implication for Electricity Power Generation

This paper aims to understand the combustion profiles of the coal samples in the Lafia-Obi axis, Middle Benue Trough (MBT), for consideration as a potential energy source for electricity power generation. Despite efforts and commitment from renewable energy sources to account for a significant share of the total electricity supply, coal remains the most important electricity-producing fuel globally. Currently, there is growing energy demand, as many industrialized and developing countries continue to rely on coal for electricity power generation in the next few decades to come. The Benue Trough is a failed arm of the triple ‘RRr’ junction of an inland sedimentary basin that extends in a NE-SW direction from the Gulf of Guinea in the south, to the Chad Basin in the north. A total of nine (9) grab coal samples were obtained from 3 coal localities in the Lafia-Obi environment, the proximate analysis was conducted on the coal samples using a Perkin Elmer Thermogravimetric Analyzer. The results show the coals have high volatile matter content, low ash yield, and high calorific value (21.97 MJ/Kg, on areal average). Ultimate data shows that Sulphur values are generally low (areal average of 0.90 %). Vitrinite reflectance measurements were carried out largely on petrographic pellet blocks revealing that they are generally dominated by vitrinite maceral, with an areal average of 80.6 % by volume (mineral-matter free). Lafia-Obi coal is a medium-rank C bituminous coal with high vitrinite and fusinite. The findings obtained from this paper show that the coals in the study area can be used for electricity power generation except for sample 01 with high ash content of 73.03 weight %.

Multi-modal multi-step wind power forecasting based on stacking deep learning model

Wind power is becoming a clean and effective energy source for electric power generation. However, the abnormity, multi-modal, and uncertainty represented in wind power data are commonly undesired. Thus, accurate wind power forecasting is a significant method for keeping the power system operations steady. To solve these issues, a multi-modal multi-step wind power forecasting model is presented. To obtain this, the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) is improved by the k-dimensional tree (kd-tree) for detecting abnormal data. Then, the low-rank matrix fusion method fuses the wind speed, wind direction, and air density modalities for obtaining a unified representation. To further increase model accuracy, we propose a stacking deep learning model (SDLM) for overcoming the uncertainty phenomenon, which contains the bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BGRU) and leaky echo state network (LESN). The final forecasting results are acquired by a meta-learning operator. To validate the accuracy and stability of the presented approach, the inland and offshore wind farm datasets are used for forecasting. The contrastive results demonstrate that the presented model outperforms satisfactory performance in multi-step wind power prediction.