Integration of Renewable Sources of Energy

Felix A. Farret, M. Godoy Simoes

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781119137399
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Subtopic: Risorse energetiche

The latest tools and techniques for addressing the challenges of 21 st century power generation, renewable sources and distribution systems

Renewable energy technologies and systems are advancing by leaps and bounds, and it's only a matter of time before renewables replace fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources. Written for practicing engineers, researchers and students alike, this book discusses state-of-the art mathematical and engineering tools for the modeling, simulation and control of renewable and mixed energy systems and related power electronics. Computational methods for multi-domain modeling of integrated energy systems and the solution of power electronics engineering problems are described in detail.

Chapters follow a consistent format, featuring a brief introduction to the theoretical background, a description of problems to be solved, as well as objectives to be achieved. Multiple block diagrams, electrical circuits, and mathematical analysis and/or computer code are provided throughout. And each chapter concludes with discussions of lessons learned, recommendations for further studies, and suggestions for experimental work.

Key topics covered in detail include:

• Integration of the most usual sources of electrical power and related thermal systems
• Equations for energy systems and power electronics focusing on state-space and power circuit oriented simulations
• MATLAB® and Simulink® models and functions and their interactions with real-world implementations using microprocessors and microcontrollers
• Numerical integration techniques, transfer-function modeling, harmonic analysis, and power quality performance assessment
• MATLAB®/Simulink®, Power Systems Toolbox, and PSIM for the simulation of power electronic circuits, including for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar sources

Written by distinguished experts in the field, Integration of Renewable Sources of Energy, 2nd Edition is a valuable working resource for practicing engineers interested in power electronics, power systems, power quality, and alternative or renewable energy. It is also a valuable text/reference for undergraduate and graduate electrical engineering students.

1
Alternative Sources of Energy

1.1 Introduction

The basic human needs to survive are air, water, food, space to live, and energy, as well as the ability to reproduce, and humans have been constantly searching for means to harvest and convert energy to hence survive. But the interrelation of energy with other needs has not been so evident as in the recent years. When the industrial revolution in Europe caused an evolution of societies and large areas of increasing population density, people realized that factors such as comfortable housing and energy would be relevant to the development of a country. Fossil fuels have become essential in modern societies, and new strategies have been developed to guarantee their uninterrupted supply. In the last 250 years, our population, and correspondingly the demands for industrial and commercial goods, has increased. We have to consider that we live on a planet of constant size and constrained resources, and increased population and their demands may have consequences: economic constraints, new frontiers, wars, international agreements, and heavy pollution [1–3]. Engineers and scientists are working toward the optimized use of resources. Humans are excavating the lands for charcoal, petroleum, gas, uranium, and other minerals, polluting the atmosphere, rivers, oceans, and food sources. Burning fossil fuels and thermal energy conversion just increase entropy and contribute to exhaustion of our planet’s energy resources.

In the past the approach to generate large amounts of electrical energy was realized by means of constructing large power plants, which were considered more efficient than smaller ones on an economic scale, such as the Three Gorges Dam in China (18 GW with structure for 22.5 GW), Itaipu Binacional in Brazil (14.0 GW), Sayano–Shushenskaya Dam in Russia (6.4 MW), Churchill Falls Generating Station in Canada (5.43 GW), and Guri Dam in Venezuela (2.0 GW). However, such large power plants caused immense floods, massive power transmission lines and towers, air pollution, modified waterways, devastated forests, large population densities in cities, and wars for the dominion of energy resources. Because of these trends in development, distances to energy sources are increasing, material capacities are reaching their limits, fossil reserves are being exhausted, and pollution is becoming widespread. New alternatives must be devised if humanity is to survive today and for the centuries to come.

1.2 Renewable Sources of Energy

The Earth receives solar energy as radiation from the sun in quantity that far exceeds the needs of the entire humankind. The sun generates wind, rain, rivers, and waves by heating the plane. Along with rain and snow, sunlight is necessary for plants to grow. Biomass, the organic matter that makes up plants, in general can be used to produce electricity, transportation fuel, and chemicals. Plant photosynthesis (essentially, the chemical storage of solar energy) creates a range of biomass products, from wood fuel to rapeseed, which can be used for heat, electricity, and liquid fuels.

Hydrogen can also be extracted from many organic compounds, as can water. Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth, but it does not occur naturally in gas form. It is always combined with other elements, such as oxygen to form water. Once separated from another element, hydrogen can be burned as a fuel or converted into electricity.

The sun also powers the evapotranspiration cycle, which allows water to generate power in hydro schemes—the largest source of renewable electricity today. Interactions with the moon produce tidal flows, which can produce electricity.

Although humans have been tapping into renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and water) for thousands of years, only a fraction of their technical and economic potential has been captured and exploited. Yet renewable energy offers safe, reliable, clean, local, and increasingly cost‐...