What do high penetrations of wind power mean for gas generation?

Dependency on thermal generation and continued wind power growth in Europe due to renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions targets has resulted in an interesting set of challenges for power systems. The variability of wind power impacts dispatch and balancing by grid operators, power plant operations by generating companies and market wholesale costs. This paper quantifies the effects of high wind power penetration on power systems with a dependency on gas generation using a realistic unit commitment and economic dispatch model. The test system is analyzed under two scenarios, with and without wind, over one year. The key finding of this preliminary study is that despite increased ramping requirements in the wind scenario, the unit cost of electricity due to sub-optimal operation of gas generators does not show substantial deviation from the no wind scenario.

Allocating Participants to Groups In Educational Trials: What Does Random Mean?

What is meant by the term random? Do we understand how to identify which type of randomisation to use in our future research projects? We, as researchers, often explain randomisation to potential research participants as being a 50/50 chance of selection to either an intervention or control group, akin to drawing numbers out of a hat. Is this an accurate explanation? And are all methods of randomisation equal? This paper aims to guide the researcher through the different techniques used to randomise participants with examples of how they can be used in educational research.