Fuel Savings in Remote Antarctic Microgrids Through Energy Management
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Fuel savings in remote Antarctic microgrids through energy management Can Berk Saner Spyros Skarvelis-Kazakos School of Engineering and Informatics School of Engineering and Informatics University of Sussex University of Sussex Brighton, UK Brighton, UK [email protected] [email protected] Abstract— Research stations in the Antarctic have their own conservatively and efficiently in Antarctica. Therefore, energy electrical generation facilities and are not interconnected to any management is a key requirement. Each research station in grid. Scarcity of fuel and unavailability of interconnection Antarctica has its own electrical generation facilities and they characterize these Antarctic energy systems as mission-critical are not interconnected. Hence, for energy generation purposes, isolated microgrids. In this work, an energy management strategy each station can be considered as an islanded microgrid. In this has been proposed for South African Antarctic research station paper, an energy management strategy that can be used in an SANAE IV for improving fuel efficiency. The proposed strategy Antarctic microgrid is proposed, under the umbrella of Supply consists of optimal dispatch of generation and installation of a Side Management (SSM) and Demand Side Management thermal load controller for the supply side, and a novel demand (DSM). Supply Side Management (SSM) encompasses the response scheme for the demand side. The system was simulated actions that take place in energy generation, transmission and using HOMER Microgrid Analysis Tool. Results showed an 8.30% decrease in fuel consumption, which corresponds to 21,876 litres distribution to ensure efficiency in those activities. Demand of diesel annually. These savings can be achieved without major Side Management (DSM) is the planning, implementation and capital expenditure or difficult engineering work. monitoring of utility activities that are designed to influence consumer’s use of energy in terms of time pattern and Keywords—Microgrids, energy management, demand-side magnitude. management, power generation dispatch. The strategy proposed in this paper includes the I. INTRODUCTION implementation of a thermal load controller for SSM, and a novel demand side management program for DSM that Antarctic is the polar region located in the South Pole. facilitates the efficient use of intermittent renewable energy. Antarctic is where the coldest, windiest, highest, driest and remotest continent on Earth resides: The Antarctica. Antarctica The concept is introduced in Section II, whereas Section III has never had an indigenous (native) population and has no describes the base that was chosen as a case study. The permanent residents [1]. The population in Antarctica proposed strategy is described in Section IV and Sections V and constitutes researchers, short term visitors and tourists. VI present the modelling and results. Conclusions are drawn in Presumably, the only people that can actually be considered as Section VII. residents are researchers. As of 2014, there are 82 research stations working year-round or seasonal from 29 different II. ENERGY MANAGEMENT IN THE ANTARCTIC countries, hosting about 4,400 people at its peak [2]. Electricity Several studies have been conducted, investigating the generators are in use for supplying electrical and thermal possibility of implementation of energy management strategies energy for all their needs and are critical for life support. and integration of renewable energy systems [3],[4],[5],[6],[7]. Although a few stations have adopted renewable energy sources In [5] a photovoltaic-wind energy system was proposed for or hybrid systems, most of them are using conventional French-Italian base Concordia, in addition to existing diesel generators that are using fossil fuels. Gasoline, diesel and jet generation. Solar irradiance data have been measured directly fuel are being utilized in order to drive these generators as well by portable equipment and global irradiance has been as to power water- and land-based vehicles [3]. calculated via formulae. Wind speed and direction data have been acquired through anemometers. Excess generation would There are several drawbacks of being dependent on fossil be diverted to a thermal-electrical dump load, which is used for fuel. First of all, the transportation of fuel is not reliable. The snow melting and heating purposes. Initial capital need for this cargo ships can only deliver during summer times, and system has been estimated as €630,000 with a payback period generally once a year. Shipping costs are also extremely high. of 4 years. It is argued that on top of monetary gains, the Some stations are far away from the shore line (e.g. Amundsen polluting emissions would be decreased. – Scott and Vostok stations) which makes the logistics even more challenging. Greenhouse gas emissions, as well as oil A study of renewable energy integration for the Brazilian spills are also a considerable threat in Antarctica where 70% of Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station was presented in [6]. the Earth’s fresh water reserves reside. In the light of the above, Assessment of organic solid waste, cogeneration, solar and it is mandatory to use any available energy sources wind resource has been conducted. It is claimed that gross 978-1-5386-2910-9/18/$31.00 ©2018 IEEE amount of organic solid waste is not sufficient for energy of Antarctica at Vesleskarvet nunatak, Queen Maud Land region production. Simulations have been performed for wind and (72.0°S, 2.5°W) [10], [11]. The base consists of three main 2- solar integration individually, each one with and without the staged blocks (Block A, B and C) and two passages that are adoption of batteries. It is concluded that the topology of connecting the blocks. These units have been raised to 3.5 combined heat and power operation, wind power and thermal meters by stilt foundation. It is capable of housing up to 80 storage units offered the optimum payback and diesel savings. residents. Utilization of wind-diesel hybrid generation at the New Until 2009, the station’s energy demand was met by three Zealand Scott Base research station was studied in [7], while standalone diesel generators, two turbo-charged ADE 442T introducing a novel demand side management strategy. On top engines rated at 260 kW and one ADE 442Ti turbo-charged of existing diesel generation facilities, two different wind inter-cooled engine rated at 320 kW. These generators are turbines have been offered with rated power of 100 kW and 330 connected to three individual Leroy Somer alternators which are kW in quantities of 3 and 2, respectively. A proposed Demand rated at 180 kW, 250kVA, 400V, 361A. These motor – Side Management (DSM) strategy shifts the load of laundry generator couplings are monitored in terms of output voltage, facilities with respect to the instantaneous renewable frequency and generator speed and controlled by a WEXLER- penetration. It is estimated that the proposed DSM strategy can GENCON II controller for protection, management, save up to 1,600 litres of fuel per year, while installation of two synchronizing and load-sharing. The generators are used in an 100 kW (200 kW in total) wind turbines may lead to savings as interchanging manner to enable equal aging. Load sharing high as 97,036 litres per year. among machines is coordinated via a “master and slave” program. Master generator is always in use and the stand-by Cases of successful energy management actions that have generator kicks in should the demand exceeds 162 kW to share been implemented in Antarctic stations are presented in [3]. the load. Slave generator will be switched off when the demand These cases include energy efficiency applications such as drops below 140 kW. In extreme cases, i.e. demand over 325 changing the heating system from electrical to hot water, kW, the third generator is switched on. The electrical efficiency insulation and other physical implementations to reduce heat of generators is 36.4% [8]. In this work, this calculated leakage from stations. Belgium station Princess Elisabeth is the efficiency has been taken as the full load (maximum) efficiency. one and only “zero emission” base in the Antarctic, covering all Excessive heat produced by generators is recovered through the thermal and electrical power through 9 x 6 kW wind 2 2 water jacket heat exchangers [10]. Recovered heat is used for turbines, 300 m solar panels, 18 m solar thermal panels, meeting the thermal demand. Such operation is called Combined battery storage and backup generators. Heat and Power (CHP) mode, and it increases the overall Another study in [8] investigates the feasibility of wind efficiency of generators. power in South African base SANAE. Estimates of the After years of research on utilization of renewable energy in availability of wind have been obtained via field experiments SANAE IV base, it has been concluded to utilize a 20 kW wind and simulations. The 94 kW snow smelter has been selected as turbine. It is mentioned that a small scale, i.e. rated power less a dump load. It is concluded that the NW100/19 wind turbine than 100 kW, wind turbine has been preferred due to its is feasible for implementation, producing 100kW at 13 m/s reliability and simplicity of design [12]. The implementation wind speed. This wind turbine would meet one third of the phase has started in 2009 and the integration has been planned station’s energy demand with an estimated payback period of to finalize by 2011. There was no further information publicly 10 years. The feasibility of wind power for SANAE IV was available about this wind turbine (such as wind/power assessed again in [9], where a small wind turbine was proposed characteristics), current status of integration, or gained benefits. for the base. The utilization of solar energy at SANAE IV was also evaluated in [10]. It was shown that, since there is virtually Distribution of electrical energy in SANAE IV has been no irradiation in winter, solar energy is not useful for space divided into three main branches, namely Block A, B and C, heating.