Dispatchable Power from Renewable Energy via Hybrid Prime Movers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are intermittent and unreliable, leading to grid stability issues and the need for additional spinning reserves, which are typically provided by inefficient fossil fuel plants, increasing costs and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
Deploying fully available energy sources, such as AC or DC prime movers, on a DC link within renewable energy sites to provide dispatchable power, allowing for the integration of high-efficiency engines and energy storage devices to ensure constant power output, reducing the reliance on spinning reserves from conventional plants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If renewable energy sources (wind and solar) are deployed to increase renewable energy penetration, then renewable energy generation increases, but grid stability deteriorates and spinning reserves are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hybrid power system as an intermediary solution that combines renewable energy sources with conventional generation and energy storage. This hybrid system acts as a mediator between intermittent renewables and the grid, providing stable dispatchable power while maintaining high renewable energy penetration. The system uses power converters and control strategies to seamlessly integrate different energy sources, ensuring grid stability while maximizing renewable energy utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs advanced power converter control strategies that dynamically adjust operating parameters to optimize system performance. By changing control parameters such as power factor, voltage regulation, and frequency response, the system can maintain grid stability while accommodating variable renewable energy input. The control system adapts parameters in real-time to balance renewable generation with grid requirements.
2Reliability
If spinning reserves are provided by fossil fuel plants to maintain grid reliability, then grid stability is maintained, but efficiency deteriorates and environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements energy storage systems that enable continuous useful action by storing excess energy during high renewable generation periods and dispatching it during low generation periods. This eliminates the need for fossil fuel plants to run continuously as spinning reserves, allowing them to operate only when genuinely needed, thereby maintaining their efficiency and reducing wasted energy from part-load operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The hybrid power system provides self-service capabilities through demand response and local energy storage, reducing reliance on external fossil fuel spinning reserves. The system can self-regulate by balancing local supply and demand, using stored energy to meet peak demands without requiring inefficient standby fossil fuel plants, thus improving overall energy efficiency.
3Reliability
If spinning reserves are provided by fossil fuel plants to ensure power availability, then power reliability increases, but harmful emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite power generation system that combines renewable energy sources, energy storage, and conventional generation in a unified hybrid architecture. This composite system replaces the need for standalone fossil fuel spinning reserves with a multi-component solution that delivers the same reliability function with minimal emissions, as renewables provide base load and storage provides backup, requiring fossil fuel plants to operate only occasionally at high efficiency.
4Loss of energy
If power converters are improved to increase converter efficiency, then renewable energy conversion efficiency increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs power converters with multi-functionality that perform multiple tasks simultaneously: power conversion, voltage regulation, frequency control, and grid support functions. By making the converters universal and capable of handling various functions, the system achieves high efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same hardware components serve multiple purposes in the hybrid power system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the reliability and efficiency of renewable energy integration into the grid, increasing the utilization of power electronics and reducing the levelized cost of electricity by ensuring dispatchable power, while minimizing the environmental impact by using carbon-neutral or low-carbon fuels.
Implementation Method 1
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts light into electric current using the photoelectric effect
Implementation Method 2
concentrating thermal solar power, where the sun's energy is focused to boil water for steam which is then used to generate power
Data Source
AI summary
The placement of fully available prime movers having a DC output at a location inside or adjacent to an inverter-based intermittently available renewable energy site is disclosed. The fully available prime movers add reliability to an unreliable energy asset that is reaching its maximum penetration within the grid due to its unpredictability and the requirement for additional spinning reserves in other parts of the grid. The present invention can provide a portion or all of the power to an intermittently available renewable power generating facility so that the power output to the power grid is dispatchable power. In particular, a method and means are disclosed to utilize high-efficiency engines operated on various fuels some of which may be non-fossil fuels to maintain a constant power output from an otherwise intermittent power generating facility.