The importance and accuracy of wind power forecasts

Due to the global crisis o f climate change many countries throughout the world are installing the renewable energy o f wind power into their electricity system. Wind energy causes complications when it is being integrated into the electricity system due its intermittent nature. Additionally winds intennittency can result in penalties being enforced due to the deregulation in the electricity market. Wind power forecasting can play a pivotal role to ease the integration o f wind energy. Wind power forecasts at 24 and 48 hours ahead of time are deemed the most crucial for determining an appropriate balance on the power system. In the electricity market wind power forecasts can also assist market participants in terms o f applying a suitable bidding strategy, unit commitment or have an impact on the value o f the spot price. For these reasons this study investigates the importance o f wind power forecasts for such players as the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Investigation in this study is also conducted into the impacts that wind power forecasts can have on the electricity market in relation to bidding strategies, spot price and unit commitment by examining various case studies. The results o f these case studies portray a clear and insightful indication o f the significance o f availing from the information available from wind power forecasts. The accuracy o f a particular wind power forecast is also explored. Data from a wind power forecast is examined in the circumstances o f both 24 and 48 hour forecasts. The accuracy o f the wind power forecasts are displayed through a variety o f statistical approaches. The results o f the investigation can assist market participants taking part in the electricity pool and also provides a platform that can be applied to any forecast when attempting to define its accuracy. This study contributes significantly to the knowledge in the area o f wind power forecasts by explaining the importance o f wind power forecasting within the energy sector. It innovativeness and uniqueness lies in determining the accuracy o f a particular wind power forecast that was previously unknown.

Synthetic and mechanistic studies of the Thia-Fries Rearrangement

A study has been undertaken of the published literature on the Fries rearrangement, thermal, photo and microwave, since its discovery in 1908. A resume of these publications and especially of those pertaining to the thia-Fries rearrangement of sulfamate esters, has been compiled. Phenyl sulfamate, phenyl N,N-dimethylsulfamate, phenyl N,N-diethylsulfamate and phenyl N,N-di-n-propylsulfamate and many of their substituted compounds have been synthesised and purified, a total of thirty nine esters. The sulfamates have been characterised by mp / bp, infrared, C, H and N microanalysis and mass spectrum. Many of these sulfamates, twenty six in total, have been rearranged to sulfonamides in the thia-Fries rearrangement, and subsequently purified. The products were characterised by mp / bp, infrared, C, H and N microanalysis and mass spectrum. Mechanistic studies of the sulfamates have been investigated, particularly phenyl N,N-dimethylsulfamate. The rearrangement with various catalysts and catalytic ratios, the effect of solvents on the rearrangement and many crossover experiments have been carried out to determine the molecularity i.e. whether it is an inter-, intra- or bimolecular reaction. The microwave induced thia-Fries rearrangement has been examined to determine what effect this irradiation has on the rearrangement. Photo thia-Fries rearrangement has also been investigated.