Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Queen's University
$266,666.00
Smart micro hybrid renewable energy systems
FY 2013-14
Summary
Traditional ""central"" power plants are inefficient, result in considerable environmental impact, and are typically far from load centres. In contrast, renewable distributed generation plants, with energy sources such as wind and solar, result in increased energy efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, improved power quality and reliability, and reduced line losses. Wind and solar energy system designers face a significant problem in the random, fluctuating nature of these energy sources. However, it is generally observed that wind and sun intensity have a complementary nature; sunny days normally have calm winds, and strong winds often occur on cloudy days, in the evening and at night. Thus it is possible to achieve a more continuous energy supply with much higher generating capacity factors if wind and solar energy systems are combined with storage devices and/or local generating units in what is known as a hybrid setup, solving the problem of energy fluctuations in plant output. To reduce the size of energy storage devices and increase system reliability while maximizing renewable resource use, local distributed energy resources can be coupled to form micro-sources based on smart hybrid renewable energy systems. A micro-source with plug-and-play capability is versatile, as various kinds of energy sources can be added to or removed from the system at any time without affecting the performance of other units. Geographic location, green incentives, fuel costs, electricity price arbitrage, and grid reliability at the location are all involved in the selection of appropriate micro-source building units. In such smart hybrid micro-sources, control and management of power exchange among units is critical to achieve stable operation and optimal utilization of the hybrid system. The proposed research presents a comprehensive plan to address multiple issues related to control and power management of smart coupled hybrid systems for standalone and grid-connected applications.
Program
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
419119-2011
Name nom
Bakhshai, Alireza
Department département
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Organization id
29
Institution établissement
Queen's University
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2013
Competition year année de concours
2011
Award amount
266666
Program id
CRDPJ
Program name en
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Program name fr
Subventions de recherche et développement coopérative
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
300
Area of application group en
Energy resources
Area of application group fr
Ressources d'énergie
Area of application en
Energy resources (including production, exploration, processing, distribution and use)
Area of application fr
Ressources d'énergie (production, exploration, traitement, distribution et utilisation de l'énergie)
Research subject code
2516
Research subject group en
Electrical and electronic engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie électrique et électronique
Research subject en
Energy conversion and distribution
Research subject fr
Conversion et distribution de l'énergie
Partie
2 & 3
Nb partie
3
Application title
Smart micro hybrid renewable energy systems
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Traditional ""central"" power plants are inefficient, result in considerable environmental impact, and are typically far from load centres. In contrast, renewable distributed generation plants, with energy sources such as wind and solar, result in increased energy efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, improved power quality and reliability, and reduced line losses. Wind and solar energy system designers face a significant problem in the random, fluctuating nature of these energy sources. However, it is generally observed that wind and sun intensity have a complementary nature; sunny days normally have calm winds, and strong winds often occur on cloudy days, in the evening and at night. Thus it is possible to achieve a more continuous energy supply with much higher generating capacity factors if wind and solar energy systems are combined with storage devices and/or local generating units in what is known as a hybrid setup, solving the problem of energy fluctuations in plant output. To reduce the size of energy storage devices and increase system reliability while maximizing renewable resource use, local distributed energy resources can be coupled to form micro-sources based on smart hybrid renewable energy systems. A micro-source with plug-and-play capability is versatile, as various kinds of energy sources can be added to or removed from the system at any time without affecting the performance of other units. Geographic location, green incentives, fuel costs, electricity price arbitrage, and grid reliability at the location are all involved in the selection of appropriate micro-source building units. In such smart hybrid micro-sources, control and management of power exchange among units is critical to achieve stable operation and optimal utilization of the hybrid system. The proposed research presents a comprehensive plan to address multiple issues related to control and power management of smart coupled hybrid systems for standalone and grid-connected applications.
