Arcturus 2.0: A meta-analysis of time-varying rates for electricity

With the rapid deployment of smart meters, utilities and regulators across the globe are considering the deployment of time-varying rates for residential customers. Our analysis of the impact of several studies of time-varying rates from across the globe finds that much of the discrepancy in results across the studies goes away once demand response is expressed as a function of the peak to off-peak price ratio.     

Meeting the Texas electricity peak demand conundrum: A case for wind and solar

Texas electricity production and consumption profiles were reviewed to gain an understanding of the renewable energy role in a high-demand jurisdiction. According to NERC, peak demand on the ERCOT electricity grid is rising at exponential rates, yet the operating reserve margin is still set at 13.75%. The study shows that only recently has Texas been replacing generating units with adequate capacity, primarily wind and solar installations due to an increased offer cap in its competitive electricity market.     

Microgrid Reference Methodology for Understanding Utility and Customer Interactions in Microgrid Projects

A holistic and systematic approach, based in key concepts of systems thinking, systems of systems and management science, can be employed to completely represent, model and analyze microgrid systems. This proposed Microgrid Reference Methodology can guide electric utilities and industrial customers in cooperating to attain the mutual benefits of microgrid projects.     

A solar rate option for the development of behind-the-meter photovoltaic systems

A solar rate option for the future development of behind-the-meter photovoltaic creates a win–win alternative to net energy metering, the Hopkinson tariff with energy and demand charges, and the value of solar tariff as ways of promoting new PV installations for a clean electricity future.     

How hydropower enhances the capacity value of renewables and energy efficiency

One of the ways that hydropower contributes to reducing carbon is by enhancing the ability of new resources, including renewables, to meet peak loads. An analysis concludes that the hydropower system can triple the capacity value for Columbia Gorge wind from initially low values and increase the capacity value of Southern Idaho solar by a factor of 10. Energy efficiency has the highest overall capacity value relative to average energy.     

Transformation of coals into electricity and heat

The optimal parameters of the process through which solid fuel is converted into electricity and heat are modeled using the system of equations for material and thermal balances. The theoretical analysis is accompanied by an experiment. The consumption of coal from the Kuznetsk field is 639 kg for obtaining 1000 m³ of gasification products, 0.197 kg/(kW h) (54.7 kg/GJ) for producing electricity, and 55.4 kg/GJ for producing heat.     

Residential energy supply market: Unmet promises and needed reforms

This article explores the market distortions and behaviors that have undercut the promise and performance of residential energy markets. Market trends are discussed, and possible paths forward are identified for reducing these market distortions. If policymakers are unwilling to eliminate residential energy markets, aggressive and extensive reforms of residential energy markets are warranted.     

Policy and market barriers to energy storage providing multiple services

Policy and market conditions remain the primary barriers to stacking energy storage services, reducing its cost-competitiveness with traditional technologies. This article explores two cases that show how treating energy storage as a traditional asset class providing either market-remunerated or regulated services limits its profitability, and how changing market rules creates regulatory risk that could be mitigated through stacking services.     

Improving solar development policy and planning through stakeholder engagement: The Long Island Solar Roadmap Project

The Long Island Solar Roadmap Project involves a collaborative research approach with multiple organizational entities and actors engaged in a stakeholder driven process. Long Island is a space-constrained region with a steep urban to rural gradient, resulting in a complex suite of local governments, development priorities, and utility, planning, and development actors. This project is integrating technological, economic, and social data into a spatial planning output that allows decision makers to see where mid-to-large scale solar development (capacity of 250 kW and larger) is technically, economically, and socially feasible. This spatial output involves innovative methods of evaluating site suitability based on criteria developed by stakeholders. The project’s stakeholder and partnership driven approach allow the team to consider technological and economic feasibility across a wide variety of solar development forms and financial models. Social science data collected via a residential electric utility ratepayer survey is used to examine the perceptual barriers and opportunities for solar development as well as the sites and types of solar development that community members are most likely to support. The Long Island Solar Roadmap Project is an example of how research and community engagement can improve solar development policy and planning.     

Willingness to pay for renewable electricity: A contingent valuation study in Turkey

Renewable energy sources are advised as an important alternative vehicle for dealing with a high rate of energy dependency and global warming. Turkey has also an ambitious national energy goal of minimizing energy import and producing 30% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2023. However, it may not be easy to reach these goals. Willingness to Pay (WTP) thus plays a central role in directing appropriate policies for the country to realize its energy targets. This study reviews previous studies in the same literature as well as examines WTP of Turkish citizens for renewable electricity energy by using a stratified-sample and contingent valuation survey of 2500 households. The results from estimated models show that environmental conscience, membership to an environmental organization, age, education level, gender and income of households are significant determinants of WTP. In addition, the mean value of WTP for green electricity by Turkish households is estimated at around US$ 1 (with the exchange rate 5,3 TL/ US$) per month per household. A number of policy suggestions are further discussed.     

Solar-power plant for generating both electricity and heat

A solar-power plant able to generate both electricity and heat is described. The problem of choosing a solar cell (photo converter) that is maximally efficient at a high concentration of solar radiation is examined. It is also shown how to choose an optimal concentrating system for solar-cell double-sided illumination and a system for heat removal (cooling system). The test results are presented.     

Tariffs for electricity and heat from cogeneration stations

We describe our opinions regarding different methods for distributing the amounts of fuel consumed for generation of electricity and heat at cogeneration stations [1]. Certain advantages and drawbacks of these methods are shown. Comments are given on a proposed new procedure for the formation of tariffs for electricity and heat from cogeneration stations under present-day market conditions [2]. It is proposed that the method of extraction efficiencies be used for separating the consumption of fuel.     

多时间尺度电热综合能源系统状态估计研究

电热综合能源系统的广泛发展促进了新能源消纳,提高了多能系统运行灵活性。然而,电力系统和热力系统运行时间尺度差异使得对电热综合能源系统进行准确状态估计较为困难。本文通过研究电热综合能源系统内的耦合和交互特性,通过有限差分法将描述热力系统动态特性的偏微分方程差分化,从而提出一种多时间尺度电热综合能源系统状态估计模型,并利用拉格朗日乘子进行求解。算例分析表明:本文所提多时间尺度方法对热力系统供水温度一段时间内的变化趋势估计与实测数据相比,其平均相对误差为0.27%,而稳态模型所得结果平均相对误差为1.03%,可以准确反映电热综合能源系统的多时间尺度特性。     

燃气轮机热电冷联产系统合理配置研究

介绍了以综合效益最好为目标、运用全年总费用法和层次分析法、在满足给定的全年热电冷负荷的基础上优化系统各设备的运行 ,合理确定由燃气轮机、补燃式余热锅炉和尖峰锅炉为核心的热电冷联产系统的规模与组成形式 ,最后利用实例验证了方法的有效性。     

A high-temperature solar source of heat for a thermophotovoltaic generator: Theory and experiment

The selection of the geometrical parameters of a tungsten receiver-emitter for a solar thermophotovoltaic generator with a searchlight-type paraboloid mirror is substantiated theoretically. An experimental instrument equipped with an evacuated receiver of solar radiation is presented, and an experimental setup equipped with a concentration system tracking the Sun is described. It is confirmed that the calculated estimates that were obtained are correct, and it is demonstrated that the receiver can be heated to a temperature of 1900 K using a single-mirror concentrating system.     

评价热电联产机组经济性的节能比分析方法

通过引入节能比的概念,详细阐述了热电联产机组节能比的物理意义和计算方法,并通过对热电联产机组节能比的计算案例,介绍了其用于热电联产机组经济性分析的方法,通过该方法,可更科学地反映热电联产机组运行节能水平,使不同类型,不同容量,不同运行方式的热电机组建立在同一个基准平台来进行比较,从而更加准确和客观地评价热电机组的运行经济状况,为热电机组开展节能监督,落实节能措施和调度提供有效的参考.该方法是对现有热电联产机组经济性技术指标的重要补充.     

Interacting policies in power systems: Renewable subsidies and a carbon tax

Without careful planning and design, energy policies like carbon taxes and renewable subsidies like production tax credits undercut one another in unanticipated ways. We examine how a carbon tax interacts with PTCs by simulating an electricity market using the IEEE RTS model with a carbon tax of $38/tonCO2e and a PTC of $23/MWh. The results show that PTCs work against the carbon tax by both lowering average energy prices and altering the generator dispatch.     

Analysis of renewable energy integration into the transmission network

The increasing use of renewable energy contributes to climate change mitigation. However, a massive penetration of these latter systems into the power grid creates technical challenges due to the intermittent nature of these resources. A methodology to identify and overcome these challenges is presented in this work. A detailed network analysis is performed to simulate the impact of renewable sources on the grid and accordingly suggest mitigation methods. Different case studies were carried out on the Moroccan grid taking into consideration the country actual installed and planned renewable farms including concentrated solar power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), and wind plants with doubly-fed induction generators (DFIG). A PSS®E software simulation tool is used in this work to conduct power flow analysis on the network’s lines, bus bars, and transformers. It is also used to investigate the voltage profile and stability of the electric grid. In addition, an N-1 contingency analysis is done to identify their impact on the reliability and security of supply. Finally, this paper presents solutions to reinforce the transmission grid.     

Retrofitting municipal boiler houses by furnishing them with equipment for combined generation of heat and electricity

We describe the regional program for retrofitting municipal boiler houses in Krasnodar krai by furnishing them with equipment for combined generation of heat and electricity with a total electrical capacity of 270 MW.     

Power-generating and processing plants for combined production of liquefied natural gas and electricity with extraction of helium

Matters relating to mathematical simulation and optimization studies of power-generating and processing plants for combined production of liquefied natural gas and electricity with extraction of helium are considered. The mathematical models simulating individual elements of such plants and plants as a whole are mainly based on an original method for calculating thermodynamic equilibrium of multicomponent steam-liquid flows.