Optimised operation of an off-grid hybrid wind-diesel-battery system using genetic algorithm

Abstract

In an off-grid hybrid wind-diesel-battery system, the diesel generator is often not utilised efficiently, therefore compromising its lifetime. In particular, the general rule of thumb of running the diesel generator at more than 40% of its rated capacity is often unmet. This is due to the variation in power demand and wind speed which needs to be supplied by the diesel generator. In addition, the frequent start-stop of the diesel generator leads to additional mechanical wear and fuel wastage. This research paper proposes a novel control algorithm which optimises the operation of a diesel generator, using genetic algorithm. With a given day-ahead forecast of local renewable energy resource and load demand, it is possible to optimise the operation of a diesel generator, subjected to other pre-defined constraints. Thus, the utilisation of the renewable energy sources to supply electricity can be maximised. Usually, the optimisation studies of a hybrid system are being conducted through simple analytical modelling, coupled with a selected optimisation algorithm to seek the optimised solution. The obtained solution is not verified using a more realistic system model, for instance the physical modelling approach. This often led to the question of the applicability of such optimised operation being used in reality. In order to take a step further, model-based design using Simulink is employed in this research to perform a comparison through a physical modelling approach. The Simulink model has the capability to incorporate the electrical and mechanical (Simscape) physical characteristics into the simulation, which are often neglected by other authors when performing such study. Therefore, hybrid system simulation models are built according to the system proposed in the work. Finally, sensitivity analyses are performed as a mean of testing the designed hybrid system's robustness against wind and load forecast errors.

Optimal stochastic short-term thermal and electrical operation of fuel cell/photovoltaic/battery/grid hybrid energy system in the presence of demand response program

“…In [14], several solar thermal/PV/micro-CHP hybrid systems have been designed to determine optimal economic and environmental performance of a building. Optimal performance of an off-grid wind/battery/diesel hybrid system has been evaluated in [15] using genetic algorithm (GA). Genetic algorithm and weighted Ah used to investigate the effect of lead-acid batteries on efficient operation of hybrid systems in [16].…”

Optimal design of solar–wind hybrid system-connected to the network with cost-saving approach and improved network reliability index

“…In this system, meters are used to determine the amount of power exchanged with the network and load. One of the challenges ahead in power generation hybrid systems is the optimal size of each resource, which is strongly dependent on the amount of load in the area and its geographical condition [14]. The number of solar panels and the number of wind turbines used to minimize costs, in addition to supply, is a completely non-linear problem.…”

A flexible metamodel architecture for optimal design of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) – Case study of a stand-alone HRES for a factory in tropical island

“…For an extended literature on sizing techniques the reader can refer to several paper reviews (Al falahi et al, 2017;Singh et al, 2016;Tezer et al, 2017), Optimization models: The goal is to find an optimal allocation of equipment satisfying constraints in time, size or use. Some studies opt for novel optimization techniques (Derakhshan et al, 2016;Eteiba et al, 2018;Fodhil et al, 2019;Gan et al, 2016;Gonz alez et al, 2016). Especially, novel optimization techniques are of heuristic kind, which means that they are based on rules that need to be defined.…”