When we design hybrid renewable energy systems (especially, large scale), no matter what we try to match the load and source, we end up with excess generation due to resource fluctuation or other reasons. Do we have a way to avoid excess generation or minimize it or convert it to do some job? Your suggestions are more than welcome.
James,
A commendable idea. Regrettably the devil is in the details. Exactly what waste can be converted into useful fuel in a compact, cheap, and simple manner?
I can imagine a small electrolysis plant connected to a PV array, but then you have to store and pipe gaseous hydrogen (not a trivial matter).
What did you have in mind?
Besides the above options, I would argue that feed in tariff would be another powerful strategy to sell the excess energy generated by new renewable -solar, wind etc- to the national grid where feasible.
Dear Bikash, your argument would have been of a great value if the system had grid connectivity options but here we are dealing with off-grid system. Thanks anyway for your participation and if you have any further comment on the update, you are welcome.
Agree but it depends on how you define off grid system. If it is defined as areas where it is impossible to reach national grid any time in the future, then it makes sense. But in my countries and for that matter in other countries, areas there were considered off grid areas two decades back have now been no longer off-grid areas.
@James Garry: thank you for your answer.You see you have once fixed your load but for instance your wind turbine generates too much electricity during some season due to high wind speed. During this time source >> load. If we can't avoid it during design, we need to include a reliable storage mechanism for the excess energy for stand alone systems away from the grid. Some of these storage can be: pumped storage( water), boiler and heat insulated transmission (additional cost though), hydrogen storage, air compressor. But all these need smart control strategy. Any suggestion?
@Games Dyhouse: Would you please suggest what kind of wast product you are mentioning, the kind of fuel and the method. Thankyou
The discussion provide many idea including fuel cell, hydrogen cell, water pumping, waste process, electrolysis. In my opinion, the off-grod system are generally installed at low income habitat and it need a less costly solution. The best option is to use excess energy for conversion of waste into useful product/ energy.
Transporting the excess energy via simple transmission line for use in a nearby farm, village or school is a good option.
As many have said - its very much an it depends answer. As its off grid maybe there are limited options due to the cost of many of the technical solutions. Best thing would be to find a process that you could add value to - that doesn't require a pattern of shift work. e.g. You could dump it into a heat to provide some value at that time - or possibly even dump it into a heat store. If you want it back to electricity at a future time - this will be increasingly expensive.
Dear USMAN, this will require grid connected in case of transmission, otherwise this will be part of earlier estimated load on Hybrid plant.
I have the same idea like Fred Betz, but the best solution must be economic and efficiency
Hello Every one,
Thank you for your wonderful idea you are generating.
I was thinking, may be we need to consider the related costs in the process of using the excess energy. For instance if we use a thermal load, we need to buy boilers and storage devices, and for pumped storage for micro-hydro needs to set up a micro hydro system which adds another cost to the system. Which solution compromises the system's simplicity and inexpensiveness for remote/rural areas like Africa or Asia.
In applications where heat energy is required, such as in industry or in cool locations, excess energy can be stored for long periods as heat.
Another response, one which does not address the question but which may address the cause of the question, is for electricity users to divide their load into core and time-shiftable. Smart meters or other means can then re-time the shiftable load, such as part of heating and cooling loads into off-peak times.
How soon will the 1st "peaking power station displacer" be formed by a community of households contracted, not to generate, but to shed electricity load at beak time?
Dear Barry Nicholas Johnston, thank you for your valuable comment. In your suggestion you said "In applications where heat energy is required, such as in industry or in cool locations, excess energy can be stored for long periods as heat" and I found this is one interesting energy saving mechanism. Could you please elaborate it how to store the heat energy for a long period of time?
Thank you Mr. Mohamed, the materials you sent me are supportive specially the second one.
Visit below link for
ESS Allocation and Load Shedding Improvement Matlab Code
https://dg-algorithm.blogspot.com/2018/02/ess-allocation-and-load-shedding.html
The posted items can help you to have a better understanding of modelling, sizing and energy management of a hybrid energy system:
Article Real time energy management strategy for a fast charging ele...
Article Multi-objective Optimal Sizing and Energy Management of Hybr...
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Physical Sciences
- Energy