Researchers at North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) in association with North China University of Science and Technology (NCUST) are developing a smart grid control technique to handle wind turbine contributions. “Reliable load frequency control is crucial to the operation and design of modern electric power systems. Due to the randomness and intermittence of the wind power, the controllability and availability of wind power significantly differs from conventional power generation,” said Yi Zhang, at NCEPU.
Their method is a decentralised version of existing ‘model predictive control’ – where checkpoints across a power grid exchange information and adjust accordingly. The computer algorithm predicts the variables that influence the grid – demand and supply, for example – and applies those constraints for problems that parts of the system might encounter. According to the Universities, a traditionally controlled grid could, for example, redirect otherwise unused energy from sleeping citizens to a power-hungry hospital or some other entity.
In a decentralized system, like the one modelled by Zhang and her colleagues, the system works a similar way, except instead of having to clear the redirection with every checkpoint, the variables are assumed and the action is nearly immediate. To test their algorithm, the researchers compared volume output and dependability of a four-part system – four plants sharing responsibility for generating power in different areas – with and without the incorporation of wind power.
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TwingTec, Switzerland, is developing the next generation of wind energy technology ‘TwingPower’. By using a Twing, short for tethered wing, wind energy up to 300 meters above the ground can be efficiently harnessed. No tower or foundation is required, so
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