LMP triggered real time demand response events

Recent changes in power systems mainly due to the substantial increase of distributed generation and to the operation in competitive environments has created new challenges to operation and planning. In this context, Virtual Power Players (VPP) can aggregate a diversity of players, namely generators and consumers, and a diversity of energy resources, including electricity generation based on several technologies, storage and demand response. Demand response market implementation has been done in recent years. Several implementation models have been considered. An important characteristic of a demand response program is the trigger criterion. A program for which the event trigger depends on the Locational Marginal Price (LMP) used by the New England Independent System operator (ISO-NE) inspired the present paper. This paper proposes a methodology to support VPP demand response programs management. The proposed method has been computationally implemented and its application is illustrated using a 32 bus network with intensive use of distributed generation. Results concerning the evaluation of the impact of using demand response events are also presented.

MV producers and consumers agents characterization with DSM techniques

This paper consist in the establishment of a Virtual Producer/Consumer Agent (VPCA) in order to optimize the integrated management of distributed energy resources and to improve and control Demand Side Management DSM) and its aggregated loads. The paper presents the VPCA architecture and the proposed function-based organization to be used in order to coordinate the several generation technologies, the different load types and storage systems. This VPCA organization uses a frame work based on data mining techniques to characterize the costumers. The paper includes results of several experimental tests cases, using real data and taking into account electricity generation resources as well as consumption data.

A new wind farm in Santiago Island, cape verde - simulation and economic studies

Ensuring sustainable development conditions is presently world widely recognized as a critically important goal. This makes the use of electricity generation technologies based on renewable energy sources very relevant. Developing countries depend on an adequate availability of electrical energy to assure economic progress and are usually characterized by a high increase in electricity consumption. This makes sustainable development a huge challenge but it can also be taken as an opportunity, especially for countries which do not have fossil resources. This paper presents a study concerning the expansion of an already existent wind farm, located in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde Republic. The paper includes results from simulation studies that have been undertaken using PSCAD software and some economic considerations.

Scheduling distributed energy resources in an isolated grid - an artificial neural network approach

Power Systems (PS), have been affected by substantial penetration of Distributed Generation (DG) and the operation in competitive environments. The future PS will have to deal with large-scale integration of DG and other distributed energy resources (DER), such as storage means, and provide to market agents the means to ensure a flexible and secure operation. Virtual power players (VPP) can aggregate a diversity of players, namely generators and consumers, and a diversity of energy resources, including electricity generation based on several technologies, storage and demand response. This paper proposes an artificial neural network (ANN) based methodology to support VPP resource schedule. The trained network is able to achieve good schedule results requiring modest computational means. A real data test case is presented.

Is the electric vehicle a solution for the wind power integration in the portuguese power system?

The integration of Plug-in electric vehicles in the transportation sector has a great potential to reduce oil dependency, the GHG emissions and to contribute for the integration of renewable sources into the electricity generation mix. Portugal has a high share of wind energy, and curtailment may occur, especially during the off-peak hours with high levels of hydro generation. In this context, the electric vehicles, seen as a distributed storage system, can help to reduce the potential wind curtailments and, therefore, increase the integration of wind power into the power system. In order to assess the energy and environmental benefits of this integration, a methodology based on a unit commitment and economic dispatch is adapted and implemented. From this methodology, the thermal generation costs, the CO2 emissions and the potential wind generation curtailment are computed. Simulation results show that a 10% penetration of electric vehicles in the Portuguese fleet would increase electrical load by 3% and reduce wind curtailment by only 26%. This results from the fact that the additional generation required to supply the electric vehicles is mostly thermal. The computed CO2 emissions of the EV are 92 g CO2/kWh which become closer to those of some new ICE engines.

The electric vehicles as a mean to reduce Co2 emissions and energy costs in isolated regions: the São Miguel (Azores) case study

Most of small islands around the world today, are dependent on imported fossil fuels for the majority of their energy needs especially for transport activities and electricity production. The use of locally renewable energy resources and the implementation of energy efficiency measures could make a significant contribution to their economic development by reducing fossil fuel imports. An electrification of vehicles has been suggested as a way to both reduce pollutant emissions and increase security of supply of the transportation sector by reducing the dependence on oil products imports and facilitate the accommodation of renewable electricity generation, such as wind and, in the case of volcanic islands like Sao Miguel (Azores) of the geothermal energy whose penetration has been limited by the valley electricity consumption level. In this research, three scenarios of EV penetration were studied and it was verified that, for a 15% LD fleet replacement by EVs with 90% of all energy needs occurring during the night, the accommodation of 10 MW of new geothermal capacity becomes viable. Under this scenario, reductions of 8% in electricity costs, 14% in energy, 23% in fossil fuels use and CO2 emissions for the transportation and electricity production sectors could be expected.

Short-term Wind Speed Forecasting using Support Vector Machines

Wind speed forecasting has been becoming an important field of research to support the electricity industry mainly due to the increasing use of distributed energy sources, largely based on renewable sources. This type of electricity generation is highly dependent on the weather conditions variability, particularly the variability of the wind speed. Therefore, accurate wind power forecasting models are required to the operation and planning of wind plants and power systems. A Support Vector Machines (SVM) model for short-term wind speed is proposed and its performance is evaluated and compared with several artificial neural network (ANN) based approaches. A case study based on a real database regarding 3 years for predicting wind speed at 5 minutes intervals is presented.

Using stated preference methods to assess environmental impacts of forest biomass power plants in Portugal

As a renewable energy source, the use of forest biomass for electricity generation is advantageous in comparison with fossil fuels, however the activity of forest biomass power plants causes adverse impacts, affecting particularly neighbouring communities. The main objective of this study is to estimate the effects of the activity of forest biomass power plants on the welfare of two groups of stakeholders, namely local residents and the general population and we apply two stated preference methods: contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments, respectively. The former method was applied to estimate the minimum compensation residents of neighbouring communities of two forest biomass power plants in Portugal would be willing to accept. The latter method was applied among the general population to estimate their willingness to pay to avoid specific environmental impacts. The results show that the presence of the selected facilities affects individuals’ well-being. On the other hand, in the discrete choice experiments conducted among the general population all impacts considered were significant determinants of respondents’ welfare levels. The results of this study stress the importance of performing an equity analysis of the welfare effects on different groups of stakeholders from the installation of forest biomass power plants, as their effects on welfare are location and impact specific. Policy makers should take into account the views of all stakeholders either directly or indirectly involved when deciding crucial issues regarding the sitting of new forest biomass power plants, in order to achieve an efficient and equitable outcome.

Wireless Sensor Networks for Infrastructure Monitoring, TR-611, 2010

A good system of preventive bridge maintenance enhances the ability of engineers to manage and monitor bridge conditions, and take proper action at the right time. Traditionally infrastructure inspection is performed via infrequent periodical visual inspection in the field. Wireless sensor technology provides an alternative cost-effective approach for constant monitoring of infrastructures. Scientific data-acquisition systems make reliable structural measurements, even in inaccessible and harsh environments by using wireless sensors. With advances in sensor technology and availability of low cost integrated circuits, a wireless monitoring sensor network has been considered to be the new generation technology for structural health monitoring. The main goal of this project was to implement a wireless sensor network for monitoring the behavior and integrity of highway bridges. At the core of the system is a low-cost, low power wireless strain sensor node whose hardware design is optimized for structural monitoring applications. The key components of the systems are the control unit, sensors, software and communication capability. The extensive information developed for each of these areas has been used to design the system. The performance and reliability of the proposed wireless monitoring system is validated on a 34 feet span composite beam in slab bridge in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The micro strain data is successfully extracted from output-only response collected by the wireless monitoring system. The energy efficiency of the system was investigated to estimate the battery lifetime of the wireless sensor nodes. This report also documents system design, the method used for data acquisition, and system validation and field testing. Recommendations on further implementation of wireless sensor networks for long term monitoring are provided.

The evolution ofRussian power industry from monopoly to market operation

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Sähköverkkoliiketoimintojen valvontamallit eräissä Euroopan maissa

Sähkömarkkinauudistukset ovat tuoneet kilpailun sähkön tuotantoon ja myyntiin, mutta samalla vahvistaneet tarvetta valvoa sähkönsiirtoa ja -jakelua, jotka ovat ns. luonnollisia monopolitoimintoja. Monopoleja valvotaan, jotta ne eivät väärinkäytä määräävää markkina-asemaansa. Tässä diplomityössä tarkastellaan sähkönjakeluverkkoliiketoiminnan sääntelyyn yleisesti käytettyjä valvontamalleja sekä niiden soveltamisessa huomioon otettavia seikkoja. Tarkasteltuja valvontamalleja on neljä, joista yleisimpiä ovat hintakattosääntely ja liikevaihdon sääntely. Tuoton sääntely on monesti ollut ensimmäinen keino säännellä alaa. Mittatikkusääntelyllä pyritään selvittämään tarkasteltavien yhtiöiden tehokkuutta. Sitä käytetään yleensä muiden mallien lisänä kannustamaan toiminnan tehostamiseen. Yhä useammin valvotaan myös sähköntoimituksen laatua. Jokainen maa valitsee omaan erityistilanteeseensa parhaiten sopivan valvontamallin. Valvontamallit kehittyvät jatkuvasti, jotta asiakkaiden etujen turvaamiseksi on olemassa toimivat regulatiiviset työkalut ja toisaalta sähkönjakeluyhtiöiden toimintaolosuhteet ovat vakaat ja realistiset. Kansallisen regulaattorin on luotava valvontamallin avulla oikeanlaiset kannustimet yhtiöiden toiminnalle, jotta niiden tekemät investointi- ja toimintapäätökset ovat järkeviä ja takaavat sähkönjakelun jatkuvuuden.

Sähkön tuotantokustannusvertailu

Työssä vertaillaan eri sähköntuotantovaihtoehtojen taloudellista kannattavuutta. Kannattavuusvertailu suoritetaan pelkkää sähköä tuottaville voimalaitoksille. Sähkön ja lämmön yhteistuotannon lisärakentaminen tulee kattamaan tietyn osuuden lähitulevaisuuden sähkön hankinnan vajeesta, mutta sen lisäksi tarvitaan myös uutta lauhdetuotantokapasiteettia. Tutkittavat voimalaitostyypit ovat: ydinvoimalaitos, maakaasukombilauhdevoimalaitos, kivihiililauhdevoimalaitos, turvelauhdevoimalaitos, puulauhdevoimalaitos ja tuulivoimala. Kannattavuustarkastelu suoritetaan annuiteettimenetelmällä käyttäen 5 % reaalikorkoa ja tammikuun 2008 hintatasoa. Laskelmien perusteella 8000 tunnin huipunkäyttöajalla ydinsähkön tuotantokustannus olisi 35,0 € /MWh, kaasusähkön 59,2 €/MWh ja hiilisähkön 64,4 €/MWh, kun hiilidioksidipäästöoikeuden hintana käytetään 23 €/t. Ilman päästökauppaa kaasusähkön hinta on 51,2 €/MWh ja hiilisähkön 45,7 €/MWh ydinsähkön hinnan pysyessä ennallaan. Herkkyystarkastelun tulosten perusteella ydinvoiman kilpailukyky korostuu muihin tarkasteltuihin tuotantomuotoihin verrattuna. Ydinpolttoaineen suurellakaan hinnan muutoksella ei ole merkittävää vaikutusta ydinsähkön tuotantokustannukseen, kun taas maakaasusähkö on erittäin riippuvainen polttoaineen hinnasta. Myös päästöoikeuden hinnan kasvu lisää merkittävästi ydinvoiman kilpailukykyä kaasu- ja hiilisähköön verrattuna. Ydinvoimainvestoinnin kannattavuutta ja takaisinmaksua tarkastellaan myös yksinään siten, että investoinnilla saavutettavien tuottojen laskennassa käytetään useita eri sähkön markkinahintoja. Investoinnin kannattavuus on erittäin hyvä, kun sähkön markkinahinta on 50 €/MWh tai suurempi.

Optimization of energy in a pulp mill

This study presents examination of ways to increase power generation in pulp mills. The main purpose was to identify and verify the best ways of power generation growth. The literature part of this study presented operation of energy pulp mill departments, energy consumption and generation by the recovery and power boilers. The second chapter of this part described the main directions for increase of electricity generation rise of black liquor dry solid content, increase of main steam parameters, flue gas heat recovery technologies, feed water and combustion air preheating. The third chapter of the literature part presented possible technical, environment and corrosion risks appeared from described alternatives. In the experimental part of this study, calculations and results of possible models with alternatives was presented. The possible combinations of alternatives were generated in 44 `models of energy pulp mill. The target of this part was define extra electricity generation after alternatives using and estimate profitability of generated models. The calculations were made by computer programme PROSIM. In the conclusions, the results were estimated on the basis of extra electricity generation and equipment design data of models. The profitability of cases was verified by their payback periods and additional incomes.

Emissão de mercúrio para a atmosfera pela queima de gás natural no Brasil

Increasing natural gas use in Brazil triggered a discussion of its role as a Hg source. We show that Hg emissions to the atmosphere from fossil fuel combustion for power generation in Brazil contribute with 6.2% (4.2 t yr-1) to the total anthropogenic Hg atmospheric emissions, with coal combustion and biomass burning as major sources. Natural gas contributes with 0.04 t yr-1, mostly from electricity generation (88%) and industrial uses (7.6%). Preliminary results on Hg concentrations in natural gas suggest that a large fraction of it is trapped during refining and transport, which may create Hg point sources between extraction and consumption.

Patentes depositadas em âmbito nacional como indicador de desenvolvimento das tecnologias de produção de hidrogênio

Brazil is considered a major player in relation to renewable energy sources. Since 2005, the MME have encouraged scientific and technological development to advance the hydrogen economy in the country. In this work we identified the patents based on hydrogen production filed by the INPI by evaluating the energy production in Brazil in conjunction with data held in the BNE and the prediction of hydrogen production made by the CGEE. It can be observed that the country needs substantial technological stimulation, but shows promise for producing renewable energy sources.