Demand-Side Response Smart Grid Technique for Optimized Energy Use

The chapter describes a dynamic smart grid concept that enables electricity end-users to be acting on controlling, shifting, or curtailing own demand to avoid peak-demand conditions according to information received about electricity market conditions over the Internet. Computer-controlled switches are used to give users the ability to control and curtail demand on a user’s premises as necessary, following a preset user’s preferences. The computerized switching provides the ability to accommodate local renewable energy sources as available. The concept offers further the ability to integrate charging electrical vehicles during off-peak periods, helping thus substantially improving the utilization of the whole electricity system. The approach is pursuing improved use of electrical energy associated with improved energy management, reduced electricity prices and reduced pollution caused by excessive use of combustion engine in transport. The technique is inherently restricted to take effect in frame of energy tariff regimes based on real-time price made to encourage and reward conscious users being proactively participating in holistic energy management strategies.

Analyses and Monitoring of Power Grid

Power system analyses and monitoring of power system engineering are as essential as oxygen for human beings. This innovative approach deals with a 132 kV grid simulation in electrical transient analyzer program (ETAP). The existing power distribution system in Pakistan consists of approximately six thousand 11 kV feeders, which are mainly analyzed by software FDR-ANA (Feeder Analyses). This software does not have capability to provide comprehensive analyses for integrated power system. The case under study is 132 kV grid situated in Gujranwala electric power company (GEPCO), one of the distribution companies (DISCO’s) of Pakistan electric power company (PEPCO) which has been selected for comprehensive analyses using ETAP software. This software performs numerical calculations of large integrated power system with fabulous speed, besides generating output reports. In a developing country like Pakistan it is first time that analyses based Off-line monitoring has been made, which includes load flow, harmonic, transient, short circuit and ground grid analyses. In load flow analysis, current flowing in every branch, power factor, active and reactive power flow, line losses, voltage magnitude with angle etc. have been calculated. During harmonic analysis, distorted current and voltage waveforms along with their harmonic spectrum caused by non-linear loads have been recorded. Transient analysis has been performed to record different waveforms like variation in bus frequency, bus real power loading, bus voltage angle, and bus reactive power loading for short interval of time during transient conditions. In ground grid modeling, step, and touch potentials have been calculated in comparison with set standards. While performing short circuit analysis, all the possible short circuit faults like line to ground, double line to ground, 3-phase faults etc. on ½ cycle, 1.5 to 4 cycle, and 30 cycle networks have been performed to record the short circuit currents. These analyses have been executed using ETAP software, based upon historical data obtained from original system that will be very helpful for system security and reliability.

Optimal Configuration and Reconfiguration of Electric Distribution Networks

Power loss reduction can be considered as one of the main purposes for a distribution system’s designers and operators, especially for recent non-governmental networks. Moreover, the nature of power loss challenges different methods to solve this problem, while various studies indicate effectiveness of reconfiguration and its high portion for this case. Thus, “reconfiguration” can be introduced as an optimization procedure to obtain economical high quality operation by changing the status of sectionalizing switches in these networks. Some major points such as using different switch types, considering number of switching and time varying loads, which are almost neglected or not applied simultaneously in most pervious essays, are the main motivation to propose this chapter. A heuristic practical scheme is proposed to perform optimal reconfiguration, and all previous neglected topics are fully discussed. Proposed method will apply to sample distribution networks, and the effectiveness of this method will be discussed through several case studies and comparisons.

Power Systems Investments

The study employs a real options approach that doesn’t need to capture all the uncertainty and proposes a process that directly determines the uncertainty associated with the first period. The results support that its use can be considered fair. However, it shows that long periods of operation and poor adhesion to the geometric Brownian motion by the project returns might call into question its use in the energy market. The values for option pricing have remained inside acceptable ranges, but some shortfalls could be found. First, the study employs Monte Carlo simulations, which can be viewed as forward-looking processes, and option pricing problems need backward recursive solutions. Second, the study shows that its simplicity produces results as accurate as those gathered from approaches with added complexity and computational needs.

Soft Computing and Computational Intelligent Techniques in the Evaluation of Emerging Energy Technologies

The global warming and energy need requires developing emerging energy technologies for the electricity, heat, and transport markets. The emerging energy technologies aim at increasing efficiency of energy utilization processes from energy sources and diminish CO2 exhalation. The main aim of the chapter is to exhaustively present soft computing and computational intelligent techniques in the evaluation of emerging energy technologies. In the scope of the chapter, classification of emerging energy technologies, their application trends in the literature, a brief explanation for soft computing and computational intelligent techniques, and literature survey of related techniques on both emerging energy technologies and energy planning are included. Moreover, technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution, analytic hierarchy processes, and their fuzzy structures are introduced.

A Descriptive Approach for Power System Stability and Security Assessment

Finally, a new power system emergency control framework based on descriptive study of electrical measurements and electromechanical wave propagation in large electric power systems is introduced. Since, fast and accurate detection of instability is essential in initiating certain emergency control measures, the proposed methodology could be also useful to detect the contingency condition and performing the well-known islanding and load shedding techniques. The chapter is supplemented by some illustrative nonlinear simulations on large scale test systems.

Many-to-Many Assignment Problems

Modified Lagrangian bounds and a greedy heuristic are proposed for many-to-many assignment problems taking into account capacity limits for tasks and agents. A feasible solution recovered by the heuristic is used to speed up the subgradient technique to solve the modified Lagrangian dual. A numerical study is presented to compare the quality of the bounds and to demonstrate the efficiency of the overall approach.

Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development

The increased availability of reliable and efficient energy services stimulates new development alternatives. This article discusses the potential for such integrated systems in the stationary and portable power market in response to the critical need for a cleaner energy technology. Anticipated patterns of future energy use and consequent environmental impacts (acid precipitation, ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect or global warming) are comprehensively discussed in this chapter. Throughout the theme several issues relating to renewable energies, environment, and sustainable development are examined from both current and future perspectives. It is concluded that green energies like wind, solar, ground-source heat pumps, and biomass must be promoted, implemented, and demonstrated from the economic and/or environmental point view.

Solving Fuzzy Optimization Problems of Uncertain Technological Coefficients with Genetic Algorithms and Hybrid Genetic Algorithms Pattern Search Approaches

In this chapter a solution is proposed to a certain nonlinear programming difficulties related to the presence of uncertain technological coefficients represented by vague numbers. Only vague numbers with modified s-curve membership functions are considered. The proposed methodology consists of novel genetic algorithms and a hybrid genetic algorithm pattern search (Vasant, 2008) for nonlinear programming for solving problems that arise in industrial production planning in uncertain environments. Real life application examples in production planning and their numerical solutions are analyzed in detail. The new method suggested has produced good results in finding globally near-optimal solutions for the objective function under consideration.

Dynamic Analysis and Stability Improvement Concerning the Integration of Wind Farms Kurdistan Electric Network Case Study

This chapter presents an overview of key issues and technical challenges in a regional electric network, following the integration of a considerable amount of wind power. A brief survey on wind power system, the present status of wind energy worldwide, common dynamic models, and control loops for wind turbines are given. In this chapter, the Kurdistan electric network in the Northwest part of Iran is introduced as a case study system, and an analytical approach is conducted to evaluate the potential of wind power installation, overall capacity estimation, and economic issues, based on the practical data. Then, the impact of high penetration wind power on the system dynamic and performance for various wind turbine technologies is presented. The stability of integrated system is analyzed, and the need for revising of conventional controls and performance standards is emphasized. Finally, a STATCOM-based control approach is addressed to improve the system stability.