Local electricity generation and sharing has been given considerable attention recently for its disaster resilience and other reasons. However, the process of designing local sharing communities (or local grids) is still unclear. Thus, this study empirically compares algorithms for electricity sharing community clustering in terms of self-sufficiency, sharing cost, and stability. The comparison is performed for all 12 months of a typical year in Yokohama, Japan. The analysis results indicate that, while each individual algorithm has some advantages, an exhaustive algorithm provides clusters that are highly self-sufficient. The exhaustive algorithm further demonstrates that a clustering result optimized for one month is available across many months without losing self-sufficiency. In fact, the clusters achieve complete self-sufficiency for five months in spring and autumn, when electricity demands are lower.

Because of their simplicity and dynamic response, current pulse series are often used to extract parameters for equivalent electrical circuit modeling of Li-ion batteries. These models are then applied for performance simulation, state estimation, and thermal analysis in electric vehicles. However, these methods have two problems: The assumption of linear dependence of the matrix columns and negative parameters estimated from discrete-time equations and least-squares methods. In this paper, continuous-time equations are exploited to construct a linearly independent data matrix and parameterize the circuit model by the combination of non-negative least squares and genetic algorithm, which constrains the model parameters to be positive. Trigonometric functions are then developed to fit the parameter curves. The developed model parameterization methodology was applied and assessed by a standard driving cycle.

Environmental radiation in space (from the Sun, etc.) and operational thermal loads result in heat flows inside the structure of satellites. Today these heat flows remain unused and are collected, transported to a radiator and emitted to space to prevent the satellite from overheating, but they hold a huge potential to generate electrical power independently of solar panels. Thermoelectric generators are a promising approach for such applications because of their solid state characteristics. As they do not have any moving parts, they do not cause any vibrations in the satellite. They are said to be maintenance-free and highly reliable. Due to the expected small heat flows modern devices based on BiTe have to be considered, but these devices have no flight heritage. Furthermore, energy harvesting on space systems is a new approach for increasing the efficiency and reliability. In this paper, different systems studies and applications are discussed based some experimental characterisatio... [more]

Integrating wave energy converters with breakwaters is a promising concept for wave energy utilization. On the basis of fulfilling the wave protection demands, pile-supported Oscillating Water Column (OWC)-type breakwaters can also meet the local needs of electricity far from the lands. In the present study, the wave energy extraction and vortex-induced energy loss of pile-supported OWC-type breakwaters were analyzed based on a two-point measurement method. The importance of energy extraction and vortex-induced energy loss on the wave energy dissipation of pile-supported OWC-type breakwaters were experimentally investigated. It was found that the trends of energy extraction and vortex-induced energy loss were generally correlated. The effects of the pneumatic damping induced by top opening affected the vortex-induced energy loss more than the energy extraction. Results showed that a larger pneumatic damping was preferable for the purpose of increasing energy extraction, whereas for a s... [more]

The increasing penetration of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) may cause a low-voltage problem in the distribution network. In particular, the introduction of charging stations where multiple PEVs are simultaneously charged at the same bus can aggravate the low-voltage problem. Unlike a distribution network operator (DNO) who has the overall responsibility for stable and reliable network operation, a charging station operator (CSO) may schedule PEV charging without consideration for the resulting severe voltage drop. Therefore, there is a need for the DNO to impose a coordination measure to induce the CSO to adjust its charging schedule to help mitigate the voltage problem. Although the current time-of-use (TOU) tariff is an indirect coordination measure that can motivate the CSO to shift its charging demand to off-peak time by imposing a high rate at the peak time, it is limited by its rigidity in that the network voltage condition cannot be flexibly reflected in the tariff. Therefore... [more]

This paper presents a Monte Carlo approach for reliability assessment of distribution systems with distributed generation using parallel computing. The calculations are carried out with a royalty-free power flow simulator, OpenDSS (Open Distribution System Simulator). The procedure has been implemented in an environment in which OpenDSS is driven from MATLAB. The test system is an overhead distribution system represented by means of a three-phase model that includes protective devices. The paper details the implemented procedure, which can be applied to systems with or without distributed generation, includes an illustrative case study and summarizes the results derived from the analysis of the test system during one year. The goal is to evaluate the test system performance considering different scenarios with different level of system automation and reconfiguration, and assess the impact that distributed photovoltaic generation can have on that performance. Several reliability indices... [more]

This paper proposes a novel configuration that combines wind turbines, an electrolyzer, and a gas turbine with the corresponding generator. A control strategy for this configuration is also proposed. The purpose of this configuration and its control strategy is to make the wind farm work like a conventional power plant from a grid’s point of view. The final proposed configuration works properly with the proposed control strategy, the three times per revolution (3p) oscillation frequency is removed and the output power fluctuations caused by wind fluctuation are compensated. The final power output of the proposed configuration is constant like that of a conventional power plant, and it can change according to the different requirements of the transmission system operator.

The roof-leased business mode is an important development method for the distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems. In this paper, the benefits of the PV energy are considered in a PV cluster (PVC) consisting of a certain number of prosumers and a PVC operator (PVCO). In order to distribute the benefits, a multi-party energy management method for the PVC is proposed, including an internal pricing model and a demand response (DR) model. First, the dynamic internal pricing model for the trading between PVCO and prosumers is formulated according to the economic principle of demand and supply relation. Moreover, in order to improve the local consumption of PV energy, the DR model is formulated as a non-cooperative game among the prosumers. Meanwhile, the existence and uniqueness of the Nash Equilibrium (NE) are proved, and a distributed solving algorithm is introduced to approach the NE solution. Finally, the PVC including four prosumers is selected as the study object, the results have shown... [more]

To achieve the carbon free electricity generation target for 2050, the penetration of renewable energy sources should further increase. To address the impacts of their unpredictable and intermittent characteristics on the future electricity grid, Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) plants should enhance their regulation capability by extending their continuous operating range far beyond the optimal normal working range. However, for the time being, the regulation capability of the new generation of PHES, equipped with reversible pump-turbines due to their cost-effectiveness, is limited at part load by instability problems. The aim of this paper is to analyse, during a pumping power reduction scenario, the onset and development of unsteady phenomena leading to unstable behaviour. A 3D transient numerical simulation was carried out on the first stage of a variable-speed two-stage pump-turbine from full load to the unstable operating zone by progressively reducing the speed from 100% to 88... [more]

A new control technique known as inverted error deviation (IED) control is incorporated into the main DC-link capacitor voltage regulation algorithm of a three-level neutral-point diode clamped (NPC) inverter-based shunt active power filter (SAPF) to enhance its performance in overall DC-link voltage regulation so as to improve its harmonics mitigation performances. In the SAPF controller, DC-link capacitor voltage regulation algorithms with either the proportional-integral (PI) or fuzzy logic control (FLC) technique have played a significant role in maintaining a constant DC-link voltage across the DC-link capacitors. However, both techniques are mostly operated based on a direct voltage error manipulation approach which is insufficient to address the severe DC-link voltage deviation that occurs during dynamic-state conditions. As a result, the conventional algorithms perform poorly with large overshoot, undershoot, and slow response time. Therefore, the IED control technique is propo... [more]

This paper presents the control and simulation of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station using a three-level converter on the grid-side as well as on the EV-side. The charging station control schemes with three-level AC/DC power conversion and a bidirectional DC/DC charging regulator are described. The integration of EVs to the power grid provides an improvement of the grid reliability and stability. EVs are considered an asset to the smart grid to optimize effective performance economically and environmentally under various operation conditions, and more significantly to sustain the resiliency of the grid in the case of emergency conditions and disturbance events. The three-level grid side converter (GSC) can participate in the reactive power support or grid voltage control at the grid interfacing point or the common coupling point (PCC). A fuzzy logic proportional integral (FL-PI) controller is proposed to control the GSC converter. The controllers used are verified and tested by... [more]

Increasingly complex air path concepts are investigated to achieve a substantial reduction in fuel consumption while improving the vehicle dynamics. One promising technology is the two-stage turbocharging for gasoline engines, where a high pressure and a low pressure turbocharger are placed in series. For exploiting the high potential, a control concept has to be developed that allows for coordinated management of the two turbocharger stages. In this paper, the control strategy is investigated. Therefore, the effect of the actuated values on transient response and pumping losses is analyzed. Based on these findings, an optimization-based control algorithm is developed that allows taking both requirements into account. The developed new controller allows achieving a fast transient response, while at the same time reducing pumping losses in stationary operation.

On-road charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs) have shown revolutionary potential in extending driving range and reducing battery capacities. The optimal equivalent load resistances to maximize receiving power of each EV according to different EV amounts are investigated. This paper introduces a typical on-road charging system with a single transmitting coil and multiple receiving coils. The equivalent circuit models according to different numbers of EVs are built. Power control strategies with regard to a varying number of EVs are then presented. Specifically, self-adaptive source voltage based on primary current detection is utilized to charge EVs, while the source can support enough EVs by providing the rated power. Otherwise, the source voltage is regulated to its maximum value and the charging energy of each EV is suggested to be controlled by adjusting the individual driving speed. A remarkable feature of the power control strategies is that the charging power for each EV i... [more]

It is a common practice for storage batteries to be connected to DC microgrid buses through DC-DC converters for voltage support on islanded operation mode. A feed-forward control based dual-loop constant voltage PI control for three-branch interleaved DC-DC converters (TIDC) is proposed for storage batteries in DC microgrids. The working principle of TIDC is analyzed, and the factors influencing the response rate based on the dual-loop constant voltage control for TIDC are discussed, and then the method of feed-forward control for TIDC is studied to improve the response rate for load changing. A prototype of the TIDC is developed and an experimental platform is built. The experiment results show that DC bus voltage sags or swells caused by load changing can be reduced and the time for voltage recovery can be decreased significantly with the proposed feed-forward control.

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is regarded as a suitable way to recover waste heat from gaseous fuel internal combustion engines. As waste heat recovery systems (WHRS) have always been designed based on rated working conditions, while engines often work under part-load conditions, it is quite significant to analyze the part-load performance and corresponding operation strategy of ORC systems. This paper presents a dynamic model of ORC with a medium cycle used for a large gaseous fuel engine and analyzes the effect of adjustable parameters on the system performance, giving effective control directions under various conditions. The results indicate that the intermediary fluid mass flow rate has nearly no effect on the output power and thermal efficiency of the ORC, while the mass flow rate of working fluid has a great effect on them. In order to get a better system performance under different working conditions, the system should be operated with the working fluid mass flow rate as larg... [more]

Due to the rapid growth in the amount of wind energy connected to distribution grids, they are exposed to higher network constraints, which poses additional challenges to system operation. Based on regulation, the system operator has the right to curtail wind energy in order to avoid any violation of system constraints. Energy storage systems (ESS) are considered to be a viable solution to solve this problem. The aim of this paper is to provide the best locations of both ESS and wind power by optimizing distribution system costs taking into account network constraints and the uncertainty associated to the nature of wind, load and price. To do that, we use a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) approach consisting of loss reduction, voltage improvement and minimization of generation costs. An alternative current (AC) linear optimal power flow (OPF), which employs binary variables to define the location of the generation, is implemented. The proposed stochastic MILP approach has been... [more]

Concerns about climate change and food productivity have spurred interest in biochar, a form of charred organic material typically used in agriculture to improve soil productivity and as a means of carbon sequestration. An innovative approach in agriculture is the use of agro-forestry waste for the production of soil fertilisers for agricultural purposes and as a source of energy. A common agricultural practice is to burn crop residues in the field to produce ashes that can be used as soil fertilisers. This approach is able to supply plants with certain nutrients, such as Ca, K, Mg, Na, B, S, and Mo. However, the low concentration of N and P in the ashes, together with the occasional presence of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, Cd, Se, Al, etc.), has a negative effect on soil and, therefore, crop productivity. This work describes the opportunity to create an innovative supply chain from agricultural waste biomass. Olive (Olea europaea) and hazelnut (Corylus avellana) pruning residues represent a... [more]

Ball milling is investigated as a method of reducing the leaching concentration (often termed stablilization) of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. Three heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb) loose much of their solubility in leachate by treating fly ash in a planetary ball mill, in which collisions between balls and fly ash drive various physical processes, as well as chemical reactions. The efficiency of stabilization is evaluated by analysing heavy metals in the leachable fraction from treated fly ash. Ball milling reduces the leaching concentration of Cu, Cr, and Pb, and water washing effectively promotes stabilization efficiency by removing soluble salts. Size distribution and morphology of particles were analysed by laser particle diameter analysis and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals significant reduction of the crystallinity of fly ash by milling. Fly ash particles can be activated through this ball milling, leading to a signi... [more]

According to the monitoring of the wide area measurement system, inter-area oscillations happen more and more frequently in a real power grid of China, which are close to the forced oscillation. Applying the conventional forced oscillation theory, the mechanism of these oscillations cannot be explained well, because the oscillations vary with random amplitude and a narrow frequency band. To explain the mechanism of such oscillations, the general forced oscillation (GFO) mechanism is taken into consideration. The GFO is the power system oscillation excited by the random excitations, such as power fluctuations from renewable power generation. Firstly, properties of the oscillations observed in the real power grid are analyzed. Using the GFO mechanism, the observed oscillations seem to be the GFO caused by some random excitation. Then the variation of the wind power measured in this power gird is found to be the random excitation which may cause the GFO phenomenon. Finally, simulations ar... [more]

With the increasing permeability of photovoltaic (PV) power production, the uncertainties and randomness of PV power have played a critical role in the operation and dispatch of the power grid and amplified the abandon rate of PV power. Consequently, the accuracy of PV power forecast urgently needs to be improved. Based on the amplitude and fluctuation characteristics of the PV power forecast error, a short-term PV output forecast method that considers the error calibration is proposed. Firstly, typical climate categories are defined to classify the historical PV power data. On the one hand, due to the non-negligible diversity of error amplitudes in different categories, the probability density distributions of relative error (RE) are generated for each category. Distribution fitting is performed to simulate probability density function (PDF) curves, and the RE samples are drawn from the fitted curves to obtain the sampling values of the RE. On the other hand, based on the fluctuation... [more]

Improving energy efficiency in public buildings is one of the main challenges for a sustainable requalification of energy issues and a consequent reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper aims to provide preliminary information about economic costs and energy consumption reductions (benefits) of some considered interventions in existing public buildings. Methods include an analysis of some feasible interventions in four selected public buildings. Energy efficiency improvements have been assessed for each feasible intervention. The difference of the building global energy performance index (EPgl) has been assessed before and after each intervention. Economic costs of each intervention have been estimated by averaging the amount demanded by different companies for the same intervention. Results obtained show economic costs and the EPgl percentage improvement for each intervention, highlighting and allowing for the comparison of energy consumption reduction and relative econ... [more]

An experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of subcritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption on mechanical properties of shales with different coring directions. Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests were conducted on shale samples with different CO₂ adsorption time at a pressure of 7 MPa and a temperature of 40 °C. The crack propagation and the failure mechanism of shale samples were recorded by using acoustic emission (AE) sensors together with ARAMIS technology. According to the results, samples with parallel and normal bedding angles present reductions of 26.7% and 3.0% in UCS, 30.7% and 36.7% in Young’s modulus after 10 days’ adsorption of CO₂, and 30.3% and 18.4% in UCS, 13.8% and 22.6% in Young’s modulus after 20 days’ adsorption of CO₂. Samples with a normal bedding angle presented higher brittleness index than that with a parallel bedding angle. The strain distributions show that longer CO₂ adsorption will cause higher axial strains and lateral strains. The... [more]

A novel converter that can directly transform electrical, wind, hydraulic and other types of mechanical energy into thermal energy is presented in this study. First, the thermal energy of the converter is classified and then calculated by a finite element method. The eddy current distribution in the stator of the converter is also discussed. Second, the temperature field of the converter is calculated using a boundary element method. Subsequently, a thermal power⁻temperature coupled calculation method is presented to calculate the actual thermal power and temperature of the converter. The characteristic curves of the actual thermal power and the increase in water flow temperature are then presented based on the calculation results. Lastly, an experimental system is built, the thermal power and temperature of the converter are measured and the experimental results and the analytical calculations are compared.

Aiming at the fact that large-scale penetration of wind power will to some extent weaken the small signal stability of power systems, in this paper, the dynamic model of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is established firstly, to analyze the impact of wind generation on power oscillation damping. Then, based on the conventional maximum power point tracking control of variable speed wind turbine, a supplementary control scheme is proposed to increase the damping of power system. To achieve best performance, parameters of the damping control are tuned by using a genetic algorithm. Results of eigenvalue analysis and simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of supplementary damping control with fixed wind speed. At last, due to the problem that fluctuation of output power of wind generators would cause the unstable performance of the DFIG damping controller above, a new algorithm that adapts to the wind variation is added to the supplementary damping control scheme. Results of the... [more]

Utilization of hydraulic-fracturing technology is dramatically increasing in exploitation of natural gas extraction. However the prediction of the configuration of propagated hydraulic fracture is extremely challenging. This paper presents a numerical method of obtaining the configuration of the propagated hydraulic fracture into discrete natural fracture network system. The method is developed on the basis of weighted fracture which is derived in combination of Dijkstra’s algorithm energy theory and vector method. Numerical results along with experimental data demonstrated that proposed method is capable of predicting the propagated hydraulic fracture configuration reasonably with high computation efficiency. Sensitivity analysis reveals a number of interesting observation results: the shortest path weight value decreases with increasing of fracture density and length, and increases with increasing of the angle between fractures to the maximum principal stress direction. Our method is... [more]