Wind Diesel Systems For Remote Communities Guidelines And Recommendations For Development

This book provides for the first time in a single volume the collective knowledge of many leading researchers on state-of-the-art wind-diesel technology. It contains the results and advice of nineteen experts from ten different countries, and has been carefully edited to provide a coherent reference volume. This book is the result of a five-year study by a group of experts working on the development of wind-diesel technology under the auspices of the International Energy Agency. The formal, technical aims of this project were as follows: to define cost-effective models and techniques for obtaining wind and load data necessary for planning; to specify decentralised wind-energy conversion system installations; to apply and further develop models suitable for analysing the performance of wind-diesel systems; and to obtain a sound analytical basis for planning and designing wind-diesel systems.

Wind is currently the most promising renewable source of energy. After considerable technical development, wind turbine technology is now entering a period of rapid commercialization, especially where it applies to individual farmsteads, small communities in many remote or island areas, and in much of the developing or underdeveloped world where there is no access to an electric grid supply. This book looks at how, by integrating a wind turbine into such communities, fuel consumption can be reduced and money can be saved. Technically this is not easy, because variations in the wind that occur from second to second can cause power quality and logistic problems. Wind diesel technology has to date been largely a research topic. However, the experts who have written this book and who have collaborated since 1985 on a technical basis under the auspices of the International Energy Agency, recognize that the relevant knowledge, understanding, and hardware are now sufficiently well advanced to allow commercial, reliable schemes to be implemented. This book aims to speed this process by offering a comprehensive introduction to the various aspects of the technology for possible developers.

This paper describes the current status of wind-diesel technology and its applications, the current research activities, and the remaining system technical and commercial challenges. System architectures, dispatch strategies, and operating experience from a variety of wind-diesel systems will be discussed, as well as how recent development to explore distributed energy generation solutions for wind generation can benefit from the performance experience of operating systems. The paper also includes a detailed discussion of the performance of wind-diesel applications in Alaska, where 10 wind-diesel stations are operating and additional systems are currently being implemented. Additionally, because this application represents an international opportunity, a community of interest committed to sharing technical and operating developments is being formed. The authors hope to encourage this expansion while allowing communities and nations to investigate the wind-diesel option for reducing their dependence on diesel-driven energy sources.

The second edition of the highly acclaimed Wind Power in Power Systems has been thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the latest challenges associated with increasing wind power penetration levels. Since its first release, practical experiences with high wind power penetration levels have significantly increased. This book presents an overview of the lessons learned in integrating wind power into power systems and provides an outlook of the relevant issues and solutions to allow even higher wind power penetration levels. This includes the development of standard wind turbine simulation models. This extensive update has 23 brand new chapters in cutting-edge areas including offshore wind farms and storage options, performance validation and certification for grid codes, and the provision of reactive power and voltage control from wind power plants. Key features: Offers an international perspective on integrating a high penetration of wind power into the power system, from basic network interconnection to industry deregulation; Outlines the methodology and results of European and North American large-scale grid integration studies; Extensive practical experience from wind power and power system experts and transmission systems operators in Germany, Denmark, Spain, UK, Ireland, USA, China and New Zealand; Presents various wind turbine designs from the electrical perspective and models for their simulation, and discusses industry standards and world-wide grid codes, along with power quality issues; Considers concepts to increase penetration of wind power in power systems, from wind turbine, power plant and power system redesign to smart grid and storage solutions. Carefully edited for a highly coherent structure, this work remains an essential reference for power system engineers, transmission and distribution network operator and planner, wind turbine designers, wind project developers and wind energy consultants dealing with the integration of wind power into the distribution or transmission network. Up-to-date and comprehensive, it is also useful for graduate students, researchers, regulation authorities, and policy makers who work in the area of wind power and need to understand the relevant power system integration issues.

PV/Wind/Diesel Hybrid Energy Systems are used for energy supply in remote areas. Depending on the geographical and meteorological situation as well as on the load profile specific hybrid energy system designs are the best and most cost efficient solution. Typically, these systems are used in regions where the costs for a grid connection are too high due to the remote necessaries. The advantage of these systems is that it is possible to design them very flexible and adjust them to the concrete demands. On the other hand, they represent a complex system thus requiring some effort in planning and design. The proposed system is intended to supply a small living complex in a remote area in Khartoum (Sudan). The aim is to find the best system configuration and to what extent the combination of these two renewable energy sources can reduce the costs compared to a grid-connected system. The system has been evaluated and optimized with the assistance of the simulation tool HOMER developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado, USA.

This paper describes the current status of wind-diesel technology and its applications, the current research activities, and the remaining system technical and commercial challenges. System architectures, dispatch strategies, and operating experience from a variety of wind-diesel systems will be discussed, as well as how recent development to explore distributed energy generation solutions for wind generation can benefit from the performance experience of operating systems. The paper also includes a detailed discussion of the performance of wind-diesel applications in Alaska, where 10 wind-diesel stations are operating and additional systems are currently being implemented.

Proceedings of a contractors' meeting on wind demonstration projects, organized by the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General for Energy, held in Mykonos, Greece, 25-26 April 1988.