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2 pages, 181 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue on Standalone Renewable Energy System: Modeling and Controlling

by Rodolfo Dufo-López and José L. Bernal-Agustín

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 2068; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10062068 - 19 Mar 2020

Viewed by 1634

Abstract

Standalone (off-grid) renewable energy systems supply electricity in places where there is no access to a standard electrical grid [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

Research

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20 pages, 6968 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a DSP Microcontroller-Based Fuzzy Logic Controller for Heliostat Orientation Control

by Eugenio Salgado-Plasencia, Roberto V. Carrillo-Serrano and Manuel Toledano-Ayala

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(5), 1598; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10051598 - 28 Feb 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3277

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of a heliostat orientation control system based on a low-cost microcontroller. The proposed system uses a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) with the Center of Sums defuzzification method embedded on a dsPIC33EP256MU806 Digital Signal Processor (DSP), in [...] Read more.

This paper describes the design and implementation of a heliostat orientation control system based on a low-cost microcontroller. The proposed system uses a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) with the Center of Sums defuzzification method embedded on a dsPIC33EP256MU806 Digital Signal Processor (DSP), in order to modify the orientation of a heliostat by controlling the angular position of two DC motors connected to the axes of the heliostat. The FLC is compared to a traditional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller to evaluate the performance of the system. Both the FLC and PID controller were designed for the position control of the heliostat DC motors at no load, and then they were implemented in the orientation control of the heliostat using the same controller parameters. The experimental results show that the FLC has a better performance and flexibility than a traditional PID controller in the orientation control of a heliostat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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30 pages, 20609 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Day-Ahead Optimal Battery Operation in Islanded Hybrid Energy Systems and Its Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by Juan M. Lujano-Rojas, José M. Yusta, Jesús Sergio Artal-Sevil and José Antonio Domínguez-Navarro

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(23), 5221; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9235221 - 30 Nov 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2182

Abstract

This paper proposes a management strategy for the daily operation of an isolated hybrid energy system (HES) using heuristic techniques. Incorporation of heuristic techniques to the optimal scheduling in day-head basis allows us to consider the complex characteristics of a specific battery energy [...] Read more.

This paper proposes a management strategy for the daily operation of an isolated hybrid energy system (HES) using heuristic techniques. Incorporation of heuristic techniques to the optimal scheduling in day-head basis allows us to consider the complex characteristics of a specific battery energy storage system (BESS) and the associated electronic converter efficiency. The proposed approach can determine the discharging time to perform the load peak-shaving in an appropriate manner. A recently proposed version of binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO), which incorporates a time-varying mirrored S-shaped (TVMS) transfer function, is proposed for day-ahead scheduling determination. Day-ahead operation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are studied through different operating conditions. The complexity of the optimization problem depends on the available wind resource and its relationship with load profile. In this regard, TVMS-BPSO has important capabilities for global exploration and local exploitation, which makes it a powerful technique able to provide a high-quality solution comparable to that obtained from a genetic algorithm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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20 pages, 8492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adaptive Pitch Control of Variable-Pitch PMSG Based Wind Turbine

by Jian Chen, Bo Yang, Wenyong Duan, Hongchun Shu, Na An, Libing Chen and Tao Yu

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 4109; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9194109 - 1 Oct 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2565

Abstract

This paper presents an adaptive pitch-angle control approach for a permanent magnet-synchronous generator-based wind turbine (PMSG-WT) connecting with a power grid to limit extracted power above the rated wind speed. In the proposed control approach, a designed perturbation observer is employed for estimating [...] Read more.

This paper presents an adaptive pitch-angle control approach for a permanent magnet-synchronous generator-based wind turbine (PMSG-WT) connecting with a power grid to limit extracted power above the rated wind speed. In the proposed control approach, a designed perturbation observer is employed for estimating and compensating unknown parameter uncertainties, system nonlinearities, and unknown disturbances. The proposed control approach does not require full state measurements or the accurate system model. Simulation tests verify the effectiveness of the proposed control approach. The simulation results demonstrate that compared with the feedback linearizing controller, conventional vector controller with proportional-integral (PI) loops, and PI controller with gain scheduling, the proposed control approach can always maintain the extracted wind power around rated power, and has higher performance and robustness against disturbance and parameter uncertainties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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23 pages, 1235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Objective Optimal Capacity Planning for 100% Renewable Energy-Based Microgrid Incorporating Cost of Demand-Side Flexibility Management

by Mark Kipngetich Kiptoo, Oludamilare Bode Adewuyi, Mohammed Elsayed Lotfy, Tomonobu Senjyu, Paras Mandal and Mamdouh Abdel-Akher

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(18), 3855; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9183855 - 13 Sep 2019

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4262

Abstract

The need for energy and environmental sustainability has spurred investments in renewable energy technologies worldwide. However, the flexibility needs of the power system have increased due to the intermittent nature of the energy sources. This paper investigates the prospects of interlinking short-term flexibility [...] Read more.

The need for energy and environmental sustainability has spurred investments in renewable energy technologies worldwide. However, the flexibility needs of the power system have increased due to the intermittent nature of the energy sources. This paper investigates the prospects of interlinking short-term flexibility value into long-term capacity planning towards achieving a microgrid with a high renewable energy fraction. Demand Response Programs (DRP) based on critical peak and time-ahead dynamic pricing are compared for effective demand-side flexibility management. The system components include PV, wind, and energy storages (ESS), and several optimal component-sizing scenarios are evaluated and compared using two different ESSs without and with the inclusion of DRP. To achieve this, a multi-objective problem which involves the simultaneous minimization of the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) index and total life-cycle costs is solved under each scenario to investigate the most cost-effective microgrid planning approach. The time-ahead resource forecast for DRP was implemented using the scikit-learn package in Python, and the optimization problems are solved using the Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) algorithm in MATLAB^®. From the results, the inclusion of forecast-based DRP and PHES resulted in significant investment cost savings due to reduced system component sizing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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16 pages, 7212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Global Maximum Power Point Tracking of PV Systems under Partial Shading Condition: A Transfer Reinforcement Learning Approach

by Min Ding, Dong Lv, Chen Yang, Shi Li, Qi Fang, Bo Yang and Xiaoshun Zhang

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(13), 2769; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9132769 - 9 Jul 2019

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3497

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy called transfer reinforcement learning (TRL), associated with space decomposition for Photovoltaic (PV) systems under partial shading conditions (PSC). The space decomposition is used for constructing a hierarchical searching space of [...] Read more.

This paper aims to introduce a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy called transfer reinforcement learning (TRL), associated with space decomposition for Photovoltaic (PV) systems under partial shading conditions (PSC). The space decomposition is used for constructing a hierarchical searching space of the control variable, thus the ability of the global search of TRL can be effectively increased. In order to satisfy a real-time MPPT with an ultra-short control cycle, the knowledge transfer is introduced to dramatically accelerate the searching speed of TRL through transferring the optimal knowledge matrices of the previous optimization tasks to a new optimization task. Four case studies are conducted to investigate the advantages of TRL compared with those of traditional incremental conductance (INC) and five other conventional meta-heuristic algorithms. The case studies include a start-up test, step change in solar irradiation with constant temperature, stepwise change in both temperature and solar irradiation, and a daily site profile of temperature and solar irradiation in Hong Kong. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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12 pages, 5505 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Large Educational Institutes Become Free from Grid Systems? Determination of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems in Thailand

by Eunil Park, Sang Jib Kwon and Angel P. del Pobil

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(11), 2319; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9112319 - 5 Jun 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2698

Abstract

In some countries, renewable energy resources have become one of the mainstreams of energy savings and sustainable development. Thailand is one of the major countries to use renewable energy generation facilities in public buildings. In particular, public educational institutes consume large amounts of [...] Read more.

In some countries, renewable energy resources have become one of the mainstreams of energy savings and sustainable development. Thailand is one of the major countries to use renewable energy generation facilities in public buildings. In particular, public educational institutes consume large amounts of electricity from the grid. To reduce the electricity dependency on the national grid connection and greenhouse gas emissions, this paper introduces potential optimized solutions of renewable energy generation systems for a public university in Thailand, Chiang Mai University. Based on the simulation results from HOMER software, the potential configuration organized by PV panels, batteries and converters is proposed. The suggested configuration achieves 100% of the renewable fraction with $0.728 of the cost of energy for per electricity. Moreover, the greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced. Both the implications and limitations are presented based on simulation results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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27 pages, 6300 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study of a Standalone Renewable Energy System of the Chinese Zhongshan Station in Antarctica

by Yinke Dou, Guangyu Zuo, Xiaomin Chang and Yan Chen

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(10), 1968; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9101968 - 14 May 2019

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5858

Abstract

China has built four stations in Antarctica so far, and Zhongshan Station is the largest station among them. Continuous power supply for manned stations mainly relies on fuel. With the gradual increase in energy demand at the station and cost of fuel traffic [...] Read more.

China has built four stations in Antarctica so far, and Zhongshan Station is the largest station among them. Continuous power supply for manned stations mainly relies on fuel. With the gradual increase in energy demand at the station and cost of fuel traffic from China to Zhongshan station in Antarctica, reducing fuel consumption and increasing green energy utilization are urgent problems. This research considers a standalone renewable energy system. The polar environments and renewable energy distribution of area of Zhongshan station are analyzed. The physical model, operation principle, and mathematical modeling of the proposed power system were designed. Low-temperature performance and state of charge (SOC) estimation method of the lead–acid battery were comprehensively tested and evaluated. A temperature control strategy was adopted to prevent the battery from low-temperature loss of the battery capacity. Energy management strategy of the power system was proposed by designing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control strategies for wind turbine and PV array. The whole power system is broadly composed of a power generator (wind turbine and PV array), an uploading circuit, a three-phase rectifier bridge, an interleaved Buck circuit, a DC/DC conversion circuit, a switch circuit, a power supply circuit, an amplifier, a driver circuit, a voltage and current monitoring, a load, battery units and a control system. A case study in Antarctica was applied and can examine the technical feasibility of the proposed system. The results of the case study reveal that the scheme of standalone renewable energy system can satisfy the power demands of Zhongshan Station in normal operation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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Review

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28 pages, 1223 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Energy Management in Microgrids with Renewable Energy Sources: A Literature Review

by Yimy E. García Vera, Rodolfo Dufo-López and José L. Bernal-Agustín

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(18), 3854; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9183854 - 13 Sep 2019

Cited by 238 | Viewed by 15801

Abstract

Renewable energy sources have emerged as an alternative to meet the growing demand for energy, mitigate climate change, and contribute to sustainable development. The integration of these systems is carried out in a distributed manner via microgrid systems; this provides a set of [...] Read more.

Renewable energy sources have emerged as an alternative to meet the growing demand for energy, mitigate climate change, and contribute to sustainable development. The integration of these systems is carried out in a distributed manner via microgrid systems; this provides a set of technological solutions that allows information exchange between the consumers and the distributed generation centers, which implies that they need to be managed optimally. Energy management in microgrids is defined as an information and control system that provides the necessary functionality, which ensures that both the generation and distribution systems supply energy at minimal operational costs. This paper presents a literature review of energy management in microgrid systems using renewable energies, along with a comparative analysis of the different optimization objectives, constraints, solution approaches, and simulation tools applied to both the interconnected and isolated microgrids. To manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy, energy storage technology is considered to be an attractive option due to increased technological maturity, energy density, and capability of providing grid services such as frequency response. Finally, future directions on predictive modeling mainly for energy storage systems are also proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Standalone Renewable Energy Systems—Modeling and Controlling)

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