Intermittent energy source: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:13, 19 September 2018

Revision as of 21:43, 25 September 2018

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"In the case of wind power, operational reserve is the additional generating reserve needed to ensure that differences between forecast and actual volumes of generation and demand can be met. Again, it has to be noted that already significant amounts of this reserve are operating on the grid due to the general safety and quality demands of the grid. Wind imposes additional demands only inasmuch as it increases variability and unpredictability. However, these factors are nothing completely new to system operators. By adding another variable, wind power changes the degree of uncertainty, but not the kind..."<ref name='IEA2005WindVar'>{{cite web|url=http://www.iea.org/Textbase/Papers/2005/variability.pdf |title=Variability of Wind Power and other Renewables: Management Options and Strategies |accessdate=2008-10-15 |work=IEA |year=2005 |format=PDF }}</ref>

Using commercial technologies it is possible utilizeuse highly variable and intermittent sources such as solar panels and wind turbines to supply 100% of a regions electrical power. For solar to provide half of all electricity and using a solar capacity factor of 20%, the total capacity for solar would be 250% of the grids average daily load. For wind to provide half of all electricity and using a wind capacity factor of 30% the total capacity for wind would be 160% of the grids average daily load.

A pumped storage facility would then store enough water for the grids weekly load, with a capacity for peak demand i.e.:200% of the grid average. This would allow for one week of overcast and windless conditions. There are unusual costs associated with building storage and total generating capacity being six times the grid average.

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All sources of electrical power have some degree of variability, as do demand patterns which routinely drive large swings in the amount of electricity that suppliers feed into the grid. Wherever possible, grid operations procedures are designed to match supply with demand at high levels of reliability, and the tools to influence supply and demand are well-developed. The introduction of large amounts of highly variable power generation may require changes to existing procedures and additional investments.

The capacity of a reliable [[renewable energy|renewable power]] supply, can be fulfilled by the use of [[Redundancy (engineering)|backup or extra infrastructure and technology]], using mixed renewables to produce electricity [[Fault-tolerant design|above the intermittent average]], which may be utilisedused to meet regular and unanticipated supply demands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/print/article/2011/02/solar-solar-and-energy-storage-a-perfect-match|title=Solar and Energy Storage: A Perfect Match - Energy Storage to the Test|publisher=RenewableEnergyWorld.com|accessdate=2011-03-08}}</ref> Additionally, the storage of energy to fill the shortfall intermittency or for emergencies can be part of a [[Reliability engineering|reliable]] power supply.

===Operational reserve===

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* Hydroelectric facilities with storage capacity (such as the traditional dam configuration) may be operated as base load or peaking plants.

* In practice, as the power output from wind varies, partially loaded conventional plants, which are already present to provide response and reserve, adjust their output to compensate.

* While low penetrations of intermittent power may utilizeuse existing levels of response and spinning reserve, the larger overall variations at higher penetrations levels will require additional reserves or other means of compensation.

===Demand reduction or increase===