Total Installed Generation Capacity Research Articles

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction in the electricity sector: Implications of increasing renewable energy penetration in Ghana's electricity generation mix

The development and deployment of renewable energy technologies into the national electricity generation mix have high potential in the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the sector, which contributes to about 40% of GHG emissions globally. Ghana through the Nationally Determined Contributions has pledged to reduce GHG emissions by 15% unconditionally, especially in the electricity sector which is one of the major contributors of GHG in the country. The study explores how the impact of increasing renewable energy penetration in the electricity generation mix will have on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction from the sector. Four electricity supply scenarios were developed in the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) using existing renewable energy targets identified in Ghana's Renewable Energy Master Plan. These, including, the Business as Usual (BAU), 10%, 20% and 30% renewable energy penetration scenarios were modelled to assess GHG emissions reduction up till 2030 by replacing the thermal generation sources in the electricity generation mix with equivalent amounts of renewable energy sources. Electricity demand projections for the various consumption sectors including residential, non-residential, special load as well as street lighting were made from 2016 to 2030 based on historical data. The model projected the demand for electricity to rise from 10,129.0 GWh in 2016 to 24,151.4 GWh in 2030. The cumulative demand of 237,570.5 GWh was met in all four scenarios with a total installed generation capacity of 3,794.6 MW. GHG emissions for the BAU scenario rose cumulatively to 52,545.2 thousand MtCO2eq in 2030 but reduced to 46,178.3 thousand MtCO2eq, 41,603.2 thousand MtCO2eq and 38,332.6 thousand MtCO2eq in the 10%, 20%, and 30% renewable energy penetration scenarios respectively. The result indicates that renewable energy deployment could lead to the attainment of GHG emission reduction substantially leading to minimising effects on climate change.

A novel approach for incorporating incentive-based and price-based demand response programs in long-term generation investment planning

Today, power system planning requires simultaneous attention to supply and demand side management. It has gained remarkable attention due to the advent of new technological paradigms such as smart grid concepts and renewable energy resources. In this study, the effects of Demand Response (DR) as an emerging strategy of demand side management have been investigated on generation investment planning for achieving a technical, flexible, economical, and reliable solution for the supply side in the long-term. To this end, taking the advantage of system dynamics concepts and tools, the modeling of both principal DR types, i.e., price-based and incentive-based, is explored. In the first type, we formulate a novel market-based mutual relevance between market clearing price and willingness to pay of the price-based loads for accurately obtaining the electricity price as the primary signal for the investment process. The uncertain behavior of loads in these programs is expressed with a new concept called Certainty of Responsiveness (COR). A novel index, namely Loss of Load Duration Margin (LM), is proposed to incentivize the participants in incentive-based DR. Dispatching of these loads has been done using options contract. Numerical simulations are performed on a typical test supply system. Wind and solar photovoltaic units as the leading renewables in power systems are considered alongside the conventional thermal technologies. Different regulatory decisions about the adjustable parameters of DR programs are also analyzed. The results validate the effects of DR programs on total installed generation capacity, market prices, reliability indices, and outage costs in the long-term.

Potential of Bioenergy in Rural Ghana

Crop residues are common in rural Ghana due to the predominant role agriculture plays in livelihood activities in these communities. In this paper we investigate the prospects of exploiting agricultural crop residues for rural development in Ghana through bioenergy schemes. A theoretical energy potential of 623.84 PJ per year, which is equivalent to 19,781 MW was estimated using crop production data from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and residue-to-product ratios. Ghana has a total installed generation capacity of 4577 MW which is four times less the energy potential of crop residues in the country. Cocoa pod husks were identified as important biomass resources for energy generation as they are currently wasted. To further assess the energy potential of cocoa pod husks, different cocoa pod husks samples were collected across the six cocoa growing regions in Ghana and thermo-chemically characterised using proximate and ultimate analysis. The low levels of nitrogen and sulphur observed, together with the high heating value, suggest that cocoa pod husks and for that matter crop residues are eco-friendly feedstock that can be used to power rural communities in Ghana.

Contracting for Geothermal in Japan

Although Japan has the third largest deposit of geothermal energy in the world, its total installed generation capacity remains paltry. In part, development has been stymied by contractual problems involving promissory credibility. By the common law of property, hot springs hotels in many areas can potentially shut down geothermal projects. Geothermal developers would make the projects worth the hotels' while if they could, but cannot credibly assure them that they (the developers) will compensate them for any damages ex post. Conversely, by the basic logic of collective action, hot springs hotels cannot credibly promise to negotiate in good faith. Because each hot springs owner may potentially have a right to enjoin the entire geothermal project, the developer faces sequential negotiations, each of them a bilateral monopoly -- and no one owner can credibly promise that all subsequent owners will negotiate in good faith. These problems are not necessarily insolvable. And the few geothermal plants that exist are disproportionately those where the hotels and developers created ways to solve these twin contractual problems. Some geothermal developers overcame their credibility problem by piping hot water to the hotels directly. Some hotels overcame their collective action problem by negotiating through their trade association or town government.

A method of low voltage residential micro-grids management using AMI/GIS systems and its application benefits

Most of the countries in the world have a futuristic vision of generating at least 33% of total installed generation capacity from the renewable sources like wind, solar etc. by 2020. As part of the vision, one of the key steps that are being taken is to integrate residential micro grids in large scale at low voltage distribution level. In this paper, we propose a novel and unique algorithm to effectively monitor and control the residential micro grids (MG) connected to low voltage radial distribution systems. An Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) & Geographical Information System (GIS) based near real-time load flow method is developed for this purpose. Proposed method along with weighted graph representation of each 1-phase network connected to a 3-phase distribution transformer (DT) helps in real-time monitoring & control of residential micro grids at individual DT level. A case study is performed on standard IEEE 33 bus radial system demonstrating the working method of proposed algorithm and its major applications for distribution system automation & control are discussed.

Variable-Generation Integration in China: An Update

Wind and solar power represent more than 99% of China's gridconnected variable generation (VG). In recent years, VG power has grown rapidly. At the end of 2018, the cumulative installed capacity of VG was 359 GW, which was 19% of the national total installed capacity (Figure 1). The ge neration capacity of wind and solar power was 184.3 and 174.6 GW, respectively, accounting for 9.7% and 9.2% of the national total installed capacity (Figure 2). As of the end of 2018, the installed VG capacity in 13 provinces, including Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Hebei, and Xinjiang, accounted for more than 20% of their total installed generation capacity.

Benefit evaluation of the deep peak-regulation market in the northeast china grid

In the Northeast China Grid (NCG), the percentage of wind power has reached nearly 20% of the total installed generation capacity, which causes increasing demands for deep peak-regulation capacity (DPC) during the operation of power systems. The shortage of DPC has become a significant problem in the NCG which may lead to wind curtailments and affect the security of power systems as well as the heating needs for inhabitants. In order to cope with this DPC shortage issue, the deep peak-regulation market (DPM) was established and has been running steadily in the past few years in NCG. This paper elaborates on the roles of the market players and the operational processes of the DPM, of which the advancements in terms of management mechanism are summarized. Moreover, benefits of the DPM for social harmony, environmental protection and economic efficiency are analyzed, for which relevant evaluation indices are proposed. A five-unit simulation system is constructed to illustrate the operation and benefits of the DPM. And focusing on comparisons with the previous Two Rules, the case study of Liaoning Power Grid verifies further that the DPM is feasible and able to bring more benefits to grids.

Role of Renewable Energy in Indian Power Sector

Renewable energy in the form of small hydro, biomass, solar, urban waste, industrial waste and wind together accounts for 14.8% of the total installed power generation capacity in India (as on Dec 2016). Deregulation, liberalization and opening up of Indian electricity market post enactment of Indian Electricity Act 2003 has ensured complete participation by private producers. Today 99% of total installed generation capacity using Renewable energy (other than Hydro) is by private producers. In this study we review the role played by Renewable Energy in Indian Power sector, REC trading and the role played by power/energy exchanges in Indian electricity market with the objective of aiding policymakers to bring forth further measures to stimulate future growth of Renewable energy in India for decades to come.

Complete Power Management System for an Industrial Refinery

Islanded power systems for critical facilities require a robust, secure, and reliable power management system (PMS) that can respond to system disturbances and avoid blackouts to ensure process survivability. A facility in Saudi Arabia with four gas-oil separation plants and one natural gas liquids’ recovery facility operates with a total installed generation capacity of approximately two gigawatts and no utility interconnections. This paper discusses PMS components, such as automatic generation control (power and frequency), volt/VAR control systems (reactive power and voltage), intertie power factor control, high-speed generation shedding, and runback, and high-speed load shedding, along with an overview of the overall system architecture and the state-of-the-art dual-ring time-division multiplexing synchronous optical network communications networks at this facility. High-speed generation-shedding and load-shedding systems are designed with overfrequency- and underfrequency-based secondary backup protection schemes to provide additional system reliability. This paper also introduces a transient-level computer model of the facility power system, which is used for functional testing of the PMS components.

Brazilian electricity market: Problems, dilemmas and a new market design aiming to enhance flexibility while ensuring the same level of efficiency and security of supply

The Brazilian electricity market contains certain particularities that distinguish it from other markets. With a continental interconnected transmission system, a large and growing demand, and a total installed generation capacity around 137 GW, from which around70% comes fromhydropower plants withmultipleownerscoexisting in hydro cascades, this electricity market has gone through two large institutional and regulatory reforms in the last twenty years. Nevertheless, currently the conciliation between the commercial commitments of the market participants and the physical dispatch is not smooth. There is a lack of “trading opportunities” to encourage participants to comply with their contracts. Moreover, the Brazilian short-term market actsas a mechanismto settle differences rather thana true market and,neither the short-term price northe dispatch schedule is determined by the market. This paper discusses these problems, brings out some dilemmas that should be examined in order to implement a more market-oriented approach, and proposes a new market design to overcome these issues. The proposed market design is based on the concept of energy right accounts as virtual reservoirs and aims at enhancing the flexibility to enable market participants to comply with their contracts, while still ensuring the efficient use of the energy resources and maintaining the current security supply level.

Power system growth and use of new technologies in Japan

A task force was established at Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Japan, in order to observe the general image of the electric power system growth of Japan in the middle of the twenty-first century. The main results of its investigation can be outlined in the following three points: regarding the future energy consumption, it was estimated that the demand growth will become gradually saturated within approximately 1.5 times of the present by the middle of the twenty-first century; the total installed generation capacity required for the supply at the time of saturation will amount to 300 GW; and according to the demand growth, the electric power system is required to be enlarged to 1.5-2.0 times that of existing systems by the adoption of the power system enhancement measures such as the power electronics technologies, including FACTS and advanced HVDC systems.

Current Status and Prospects of Power System Development in China

Over the past five to 10 years, electric power and power systems in China have developed rapidly. The total installed generation capacity at the end of 1996 reached about 230GW with annual production Of around 1,070 TWh, which is ranked the second in the world. There are now six inter-provincial power networks and five independent provincial networks in operation in mainland China. The Three Gorges Hydro-Power Project is now entering a important phose of construction ond a large amount Of preparation work have been completed for the construction Of the Three Gorges Power Transmission System. The total number of 26 sets Of generators for the Three Gorges Power Plant will be completely installed before the year 2010. By the year 2020, the interconnection Of the power networks of the Whole country will beformed based on the interconnection between the Three Gorges Power System and other inter-provincial power networks.