ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIC LOADS AND WIND- DIESEL ENERGY OPTIONS FOR REMOTE POWER STATIONS IN ALASKA A Masters Project Presented by MIA M. DEVINE Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING February 2005 Mechanical and Industrial Engineering © Copyright by Mia M. Devine 2005 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIC LOADS AND WIND-DIESEL ENERGY OPTIONS FOR REMOTE POWER STATIONS IN ALASKA FEBRUARY 2005 MIA M. DEVINE, B.A., GRINNELL COLLEGE M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Dr. James Manwell This report addresses the potential of utilizing wind energy in remote communities of Alaska. About 175 villages in Alaska are located beyond the reach of the central power grids serving the major urban areas. Instead, they are powered by diesel mini-grids. Along with the high cost of fuel delivery and bulk fuel storage tanks, these communities are exposed to environmental hazards associated with diesel generators, including the potential for fuel spills and the emission of greenhouse gases and particulates. To address these issues, Alaska energy representatives are looking to renewable energy technologies, particularly wind-diesel hybrid power systems. In order to determine the economic and technical feasibility of a wind-diesel system, computer modeling of the different power system options must be done. Two primary pieces of information are essential in accurately modeling the expected performance of a wind-diesel hybrid system: the village electric use patterns and the local wind resource. For many Alaskan villages, this information is not readily available. The purpose of this report is to present methods used to obtain both wind resource and electric load data in villages. The Alaska Village Electric Load Calculator, a simple spreadsheet, was created to assist in estimating hourly load data and is available for public use. Case studies are presented to illustrate how this information is used in modeling hybrid wind-diesel options for remote Alaskan villages. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................................... V LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................... VII LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................ IX INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................1 Background on Energy Use in Alaskan Villages.................................................................1 Historic Use of Wind Energy in Alaska ...............................................................................4 REPORT PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................8 CHAPTER 1: ANALYSIS OF VILLAGE ELECTRIC LOADS ...........................................................................9 1.1 Historical Growth in Energy Use ..................................................................................9 1.2 Effects of the Climate .................................................................................................11 1.3 Alaska Village Electric Load Calculator......................................................................12 1.3.1 Residential Sector Loads............................................................................13 1.3.2 Schools .......................................................................................................15 1.3.3 Public Water System...................................................................................17 1.3.4 Health Clinics ..............................................................................................21 1.3.5 City and Government Sector Loads............................................................22 1.3.6 Commercial Sector Loads...........................................................................24 1.3.7 Communications Facilities ..........................................................................26 1.3.8 Other Loads ................................................................................................27 1.4 Daily Village Load Profiles ..........................................................................................27 1.5 How to Use the Village Electric Load Calculator Method ...........................................30 1.6 Verification of Village Electric Load Calculator Method ..............................................32 CHAPTER 2: DESIGN OF WIND-DIESEL HYBRID POWER STATIONS.....................................................35 2.1 Background on the Technical Aspects of Wind-Diesel Systems ................................35 2.2 Method of Analysis......................................................................................................38 2.3 Modeling Inputs and Assumptions..............................................................................39 2.3.1 Wind Resource ...........................................................................................39 2.3.2 Solar Resource ...........................................................................................40 2.3.3 Load Data....................................................................................................40 2.3.4 Energy Storage ...........................................................................................41 2.3.5 Wind Turbines.............................................................................................42 2.3.6 Balance of System Components ................................................................43 2.3.7 Diesel Generators .......................................................................................44 2.3.8 Dispatch Strategies.....................................................................................45 2.3.9 Economics ..................................................................................................46 CHAPTER 3: FEASIBILITY STUDIES...........................................................................................................47 Feasibility Study 1: Hooper Bay, Alaska...........................................................................48 Feasibility Study 2: Chevak, Alaska..................................................................................61 Feasibility Study 3: Gambell, Alaska.................................................................................75 Feasibility Study 4: Mekoryuk ...........................................................................................89 Feasibility Study 5: Savoonga.........................................................................................101 Feasibility Study 6: Toksook Bay/ Tununak....................................................................112 Feasibility Study 7: Kiana................................................................................................121 AREAS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION .................................................................................................132 APPENDIX 1. VALIDATION OF VILLAGE ELECTRIC LOAD CALCULATOR ............................................133 APPENDIX 2. WIND TURBINE SPECIFICATIONS.....................................................................................135 APPENDIX 3. BATTERY SPECIFICATIONS ..............................................................................................137 APPENDIX 4. DIESEL FUEL EFFICIENCY DATA......................................................................................138 APPENDIX 5. VILLAGE ELECTRIC LOAD DATA.......................................................................................141 APPENDIX 6. VILLAGE WIND SPEED DATA.............................................................................................145 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…...154 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Characteristics of AVEC Power Stations ...........................................................................3 Table 2. Electric Consumption of Residential Sector.....................................................................15 Table 3. Electric Consumption of K-12 Schools ............................................................................16 Table 4. Electric Consumption of Level I Public Water Systems...................................................18 Table 5. Electric Consumption of Level II Public Water Systems..................................................20 Table 6. Electric Consumption of Village Health Clinics................................................................22 Table 7. Electric Consumption of City and Government Buildings ................................................23 Table 8. Electric Consumption of Commercial Facilities................................................................25 Table 9. Electric Consumption of Communications Sector............................................................27 Table 10. Electric Load Calculator Inputs for Brevig Mission ........................................................31 Table 11. Electric Load Calculator Inputs for Selawik ...................................................................33