Types Of Generation Technologies Research Articles

Expansion planning of generation technologies in electric energy systems under water use constraints with renewable resources

Thermal power generation needs great volumes of water for cooling purposes. A multi-period Low Water Generation Expansion Planning (LW-GEP) model is proposed to plan the future generation mix including type, capacity, time of installation, and proper cooling system of generation technologies to supply the future electric peak loads under the water resource limitations. Different types of generation technologies with conventional and modern cooling systems are considered as expansion candidates in the proposed LW-GEP model. The access of candidate and existing power plants to the water resources are considered. Renewable resources as water smart solutions are integrated in the proposed energy planning model. According to the obtained results, the regional water use constraints impact the generation mix significantly in favor of the dry-cooled and open cycle units. Using the proposed LW-GEP model, the total saving in water consumption for the simulated large scale power system, in regions with water stress and scarcity conditions, reaches to 3.7×109m3, that is approximately equal to the water consumption of a metropolis such as Tehran in three years. Also, it is shown that the integration of renewable resources as water smart solutions results in reduction of expansion planning cost and more water saving.

An Evolutionary Computational Approach for the Problem of Unit Commitment and Economic Dispatch in Microgrids under Several Operation Modes

In the last decades, new types of generation technologies have emerged and have been gradually integrated into the existing power systems, moving their classical architectures to distributed systems. Despite the positive features associated to this paradigm, new problems arise such as coordination and uncertainty. In this framework, microgrids constitute an effective solution to deal with the coordination and operation of these distributed energy resources. This paper proposes a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to address the combined problem of Unit Commitment (UC) and Economic Dispatch (ED). With this end, a model of a microgrid is introduced together with all the control variables and physical constraints. To optimally operate the microgrid, three operation modes are introduced. The first two attend to optimize economical and environmental factors, while the last operation mode considers the errors induced by the uncertainties in the demand forecasting. Therefore, it achieves a robust design that guarantees the power supply for different confidence levels. Finally, the algorithm was applied to an example scenario to illustrate its performance. The achieved simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach.

The Design of Connection Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Integrated Grid with Three-Phase Inverter

Fuel cell technology is a relatively new energy-saving technology that has the potential to replace conventional energy technologies. Among the different types of generation technologies, fuel cells is the generation technologies considered as a potential source of power generation because it is flexible and can be placed anywhere based distribution system. Modeling of SOFC is done by using Nernst equation. The output power of the fuel cell can be controlled by controlling the flow rate of the fuels used in the process. Three-phase PWM inverter is used to get the form of three-phase voltage which same with the grid. In this paper, the planning and design of the SOFC are connected to the grid.

A multi-step multi-objective generation expansion planning model-A case study in Mexico

Abstract Planning in the energy sector implies multiple and conflicting objectives. Multi-objective models allow the analysis of the inter-relationships and trade-off solutions to be obtained. This paper presents a mixed integer linear model for multi-step multi-objective generation expansion planning (MMGEP). The MMGEP problem is defined as the problem of determining the answers to the following questions: What types of generation technologies are to be added to the grid? What is the capacity of each new generation plant? Where will the plant be located? When will the plant be located? The MMGEP objectives are to minimize the global cost of the system, minimize the environmental impact and maximize the social profits. The proposed model is based on a real power system in Mexico for the planning period between 2017 and 2037. The problem was solved using the NSGA-II algorithm. Keywords: Energy planning, generation expansion planning, capacity expansion planning, Generation expansion planning

Nuclear and renewables: compatible or contradicting?

AbstractSince the report of Club of Rome, ‘The Limits to Growth’, the exhaustion of fossil energy sources has been under discussion. Coal, oil, and gas—and energy technologies relying upon them—will be exhausted in the future. High expectations for nuclear energy have given way to the insight that nuclear fission is at best a bridging technology. The risks of this technology became apparent by nuclear catastrophes such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, and uranium resources are limited. Furthermore, fast breeder technology has failed and fourth generation reactors are still pure fiction. Before the industrial revolution, nearly all energy demands were supplied by renewable energy worldwide. From the beginning of the nineteenth century, fossil fuel was used in a steadily increasing amount for heating, lighting, transport, and other energy purposes. Electricity as scientific form of energy played an important role in the transformation of agricultural to industrial societies. Electricity systems are the basic infrastructure of modern societies, influencing the industrial organization, the degree of automation, the communication system, and the industrial future. Today the electrical power industry is at a crossroads, last but not least for environmental reasons. Beside the large cathedrals of electricity generation, other types of generation technologies, each of which brings totally different social relations between energy producers and consumers, have a historical chance to emerge. The solar age will replace the fossil and the nuclear age sooner or later. This transformation is not only a technical and economic, but also a social and political problem.This article is categorized under: Energy Systems Economics > Economics and Policy Energy and Climate > Economics and Policy Energy and Development > Economics and Policy