http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/print/volume-19/issue-10/features/storage/remote-communities-stop-burning-their-midnight-oil-with-large-scale-energy-storage.html
[images in on-line article]
Remote Communities Stop Burning Their Midnight Oil with Large Scale
Energy Storage
How three remote communities are now making effective use of their
abundant solar and wind energy resources with the support of large scale
Li-ion Energy Storage Systems (ESSs).
December 13, 2016
By Michael Lippert, Contributor
Until recently, the world's most remote off-grid communities have relied
on traditional diesel generators to supply their electricity needs. This
has created significant cost and reliability issues. Sometimes, it can
cost more to transport the fuel to the site than it actually cost to
purchase in the first place. Should adverse weather disrupt travel then
there is a risk of running out of fuel. Furthermore, the gensets need
regular expensive maintenance.
For these reasons a growing number of communities are now turning to
solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines. And in many cases, they are
adopting microgrid solutions in which the diesel generation and
renewable plant complement each other. The aim is always to ensure the
reliability and autonomy of the electricity supply and to optimize
operating costs.
This is where a large scale lithium-ion (Li-ion) energy storage system
(ESS) can play a vital role in mitigating the variable and unpredictable
nature of wind and solar plants. The ESS can perform a number of roles,
including control of ramp rates, power smoothing, power shaping, peak
shaving and frequency regulation.Until recently, the world's most remote
off-grid communities have relied on traditional diesel generators to
supply their electricity needs. This has created significant cost and
reliability issues. Sometimes, it can cost more to transport the fuel to
the site than it actually cost to purchase in the first place. Should
adverse weather disrupt travel then there is a risk of running out of
fuel. Furthermore, the gensets need regular expensive maintenance.
For these reasons a growing number of communities are now turning to
solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines. And in many cases, they are
adopting microgrid solutions in which the diesel generation and
renewable plant complement each other. The aim is always to ensure the
reliability and autonomy of the electricity supply and to optimize
operating costs.
This is where a large scale lithium-ion (Li-ion) energy storage system
(ESS) can play a vital role in mitigating the variable and unpredictable
nature of wind and solar plants. The ESS can perform a number of roles,
including control of ramp rates, power smoothing, power shaping, peak
shaving and frequency regulation.
It is useful to consider the situation at a typical remote site. Using
standard power electronics a PV installation might contribute up to 20
to 30 percent of the power that would be generated by the diesel genset
during daytime hours. If we add dedicated software then the PV
penetration could increase to 50 percent. For example, a 1-MW microgrid
might accept up to 300 kW, but this could be raised up to 500 kW of PV
in the best case. Since the PV output is limited to sunlight hours,
highly variable and does not necessarily meet the required consumption
profiles, its contribution to the overall energy mix is naturally limited.
However, when an ESS is introduced, it is possible to maximize the
contribution of renewables, increasing the penetration and harvesting
all of the PV power. Fuel savings of 50 to 75 percent then become a
realistic possibility.
Three recent examples show how energy storage is now making an important
contribution for some very remote communities.
Making the Most of the Arctic Circle's Midnight Sun
The remote community of Colville Lake, 50 km north of the Arctic Circle,
is home to about 160 people. It is only accessible by air or by ice
roads during a six-week window in February and March. For some years,
its electrical power requirements - 150 kW peak load and 30 kW base load
- has been met by diesel generators. However, NTPC (Northwest
Territories Power Corporation) the power utility that serves 43,000
people spread across 33 communities in northern Canada is now
transforming the region's power supply to cheaper, cleaner and more
reliable renewable energy.
In 2015 a microgrid was deployed at Colville Lake that combines solar
panels with new diesel generators (2 x 100 kW and 1 x 150 kW) and an
ESS. The 136-kW solar panels generate around 112 MWh a year. The solar
output exceeds the community's average electricity load. Therefore, the
primary goal was to reduce the runtime of the diesel generators,
especially in the summer when the sunlight is available for virtually 24
hours a day.
A key requirement for the ESS was to withstand the harsh variations in
local temperature from -50 ˚C to +35 ˚C. NTPC also wanted to ensure
maximum value for money with an ESS of the optimum size to balance its
capacity and cost versus the size of PV panels and fuel savings.
Saft's team used advanced modeling to identify both the optimum size of
the ESS and the solar array. The resulting ESS comprises a containerized
Intensium Max 20M Medium Power container with 232 kWh energy storage
capacity and a 200 kW Power Conditioning System. It features a special
cold temperature package that combines layers of high-tech insulation
with a hydronic heating coil that makes use of the same hot glycol that
maintains the diesel gensets at operating temperature. This minimizes
the cost of keeping the battery in its optimum temperature range.
The main role for the ESS is to support the network frequency and
voltage. This allows the diesel generators to operate at their point of
maximum efficiency and to be shut down whenever possible. The reduced
runtime provides significant savings in diesel consumption. It also
reduces maintenance costs as there is lower wear and tear on the plant
when it is run at a steady set point, rather than ramping up and down to
meet short-term load variations.
High Wind and Storage Project Delivers Clean Power for CFN
Just south of the TransCanada highway in Saskatchewan, the Cowessess
First Nation (CFN) has developed its High Wind and Storage Project to
harness the abundant but intermittent wind power of the prairie. It
comprises a single 800-kW utility-scale wind turbine operating in
combination with a 400-kW ESS including two Saft Intensium Max 20E
battery containers.
Since the system was commissioned in 2013, the grid‐connected ESS system
has proved its capability to help optimize renewable wind power
performance by increasing reliability and decreasing volatility by as
much as 70 percent. The primary function of the ESS is for wind
smoothing. It can achieve a ramp rate of 10 percent per minute of the
wind turbine output while also providing up to 400 kWh of peak shaving
capability.
The system is acting as a model for other First Nation communities
across Canada. And if its long-term performance continues to meet
expectations, wind energy storage technology could soon be cost
competitive with energy from clean coal or clean natural gas.
Stabilizing the Faroe Islands Grid as Wind Power Increases
The Faroe Islands, situated halfway between Norway and Iceland, is
committed to reducing its dependence on oil by making use of its
abundant wind and hydro energy resources. The aim is to increase the
share of renewable generation from 38 percent in 2011 to 75 percent in
2020 as the country's overall energy consumption continues to grow.
A new 12 MW wind farm, comprising 13 wind turbines, located in Húsahagi
on the island Streymoy was inaugurated in 2014. It increased the
country's wind share to 26 percent of total electricity production.
In 2015, SEV (the power producer and distributor for the Faroe Islands)
commissioned a major ESS project to capture the full potential of the
new wind farm. This was Europe's first commercial deployment of a Li-ion
battery system operating in combination with a wind farm.
The 2.2-MW, 720-kWh ESS comprises two Saft Intensium Max High Power
systems combined with a power conversion system and power control
system. Its main function is to address key grid stability issues as SEV
increases the penetration of intermittent renewable energy resources by
providing ramp control, as well as frequency response and voltage
control services. This helps minimize curtailment (when wind generation
is available but not injected into the grid) which can otherwise occur
in periods of high wind and low consumption.
Remote communities worldwide are making the transition from diesel
generation to greener and more cost-effective renewables. However, the
inherently intermittent nature of solar and wind power presents
challenges in maintaining a resilient and reliable supply of
electricity. Large scale Li-ion energy storage is now proving its
capability to address the key grid integration issues of frequency
regulation, ramp rate and curtailment.
Michael Lippert is business development manager for energy storage at Saft.
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