Researchers look at reliability of small renewable energy networks

Renewable energy is a key technology in 21^Street A century addresses resource shortages and climate change. Now, a new paper in the magazine IET . Renewable Energy Generation It looked at the reliability of sustainable energy microgrids that use renewable energy technologies.

Stady: Reliability assessment of small grids based on renewable energy taking into account resource variance. Image Credit: petovarga / Shutterstock.com

Utilizing renewable energy in small grids

Since the Industrial Revolution, the acceleration of global warming and climate change has led to increasing environmental damage and increasing incidences of extreme weather events. As our impact as an industrial society becomes more visible, governments and industries have pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Renewable energy is a major technology strategy to address and mitigate climate change, replacing environmentally harmful fossil fuels. Extensive research on solutions such as solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal energy has been conducted in recent decades, with significant improvements in energy production, performance, and cost-effectiveness.

Modules based on renewable energy such as photovoltaic solar cells and wind turbines are finding increasing use in power grids to supply local loads in small grids. There are many benefits to this strategy, including reduced environmental impact of energy use, reduced voltage drop, increased small-grid reliability, and reduced energy loss.

However, there is a major drawback of using these technologies in today’s energy mix, which is related to the wide diversity in renewable energy generation in terms of time of day and local and seasonal weather patterns. This problem can affect various aspects and elements of small networks, facilitating extensive research to overcome it.

Improving the reliability of small grids based on renewable energy is key to enhancing the benefits they bring to energy security, supply and environmental sustainability. Aside from fluctuations in the power supply, random malfunctions in components such as switches, transformers, and circuit breakers can cause outages in the power supply of small networks.

Microgrid structure based on renewable energy. Image Credit: Nargeszar, A., et al., IET Renewable Power Generation

the study

The new paper looks at the reliability of small grids based on renewable energy and was conducted by researchers from the Islamic Azad University of Iran. An appropriate mix of renewable resources has been considered, including a photovoltaic system, a wind unit, and a tidal turbine to be installed in an island or coastal micro-grid. The effect of component failure on the overall micro-network failure was studied.

Several papers have been reviewed and analyzed in depth in the new research. Multiple simulation methods and algorithms have been used in previous research, such as Monte Carlo simulation method, Markov chain model and fuzzy logic approach. While the current body of literature offers many useful perspectives on renewable energy microgrids, it has some major limitations.

The paper in the magazine IET . Renewable Energy Generation It offers a number of innovations that improve upon previous research. First, a reliability model for a microgrid incorporating tidal, wind and PV components was developed, with a detailed study of the effect of failure of all components on overall microgrid failure.

Second, the paper considers the influence of all renewable resource parameters, such as solar radiation, wind speed, tidal speed and temperature, on the failure rate of renewable energy microgrid components. For this purpose, the authors developed various equations such as Arrhenius’ law, mechanical contact stress and bending equations, fatigue strength, turbine boundary state function, and PV panel temperature and voltage coefficients.

Finally, the paper considers technologies including a double-feed induction generator and a permanent magnet synchronous generator to comprehensively study wind and tidal generator technologies, which have an impact on the reliability performance of the unit in small networks.

Thus, by considering all relevant parameters and mechanical and electrical components, the research provides a comprehensive study that accurately quantifies resource-based failure rates in small renewable energy networks. This improves the identification of system components and the overall small network reliability.

The constituent components of a typical wind power generation unit. Image Credit: Nargeszar, A., et al., IET Renewable Power Generation

Study conclusions

The study revealed the effects of resource-dependent failures on small renewable energy networks, providing important information about the reliability of these components and units to meet the demands of local loads in power networks.

Renewable resources show significant differences in power generation capacities which can fluctuate according to the time of day and local and seasonal weather patterns. Wind speed, solar radiation, tidal current speed, air and water temperature affect the reliability of renewable energy components. Numerical analysis of component failure rates confirmed this effect and concluded results that can be used in the planning and operation of small networks.

The structure of a typical photovoltaic system. Image Credit: Nargeszar, A., et al., IET Renewable Power Generation

Mechanical equations identified component failures that arise from reduced fatigue strength at elevated water and air temperatures. Overheating also affects the failure of electrical components, which is confirmed by the equations of Arrhenius’ law. The failure rates of the various components are highly variable. The authors applied a Monte Carlo simulation approach to examine this effect.

Future work by the authors will examine the effect of wave period and wave height on the failure rate of wave converter components, which will improve the assessment of failure rates and reliability of these renewable components for small networks. Overall, the paper provides an in-depth review of current research and a comprehensive framework for assessing the reliability of renewable energy systems.

in-depth reading

Nargeszar, A.; and others. (2022) Reliability Assessment of Small Grids Based on Renewable Energy Taking into account resource variability. IET . Renewable Energy Generation [online] ietresearch.onlinelibrary.wiley.com. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1049/rpg2.12611

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Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin