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A Decision Support Software Application for the Design of Hybrid Solar-Wind Power System – As a Teaching-Aid Abstract

The limited reserves of fossil fuels and the growing global environmental concerns over their use for the generation of electric power have increased the interest in the utilization of renewable energy. This also raises the needs for engineering and sciences programs to provide training in the areas of renewable energy technology. New programs, courses and support laboratories need to be developed and implemented. This paper describes the development of a design module that forms part of a project-based course in solar-wind energy systems taught at one of the author’s former institution during the Winter 2006 term. Course materials were developed during the summer 2005 and fall 2006. This module, which is part of the course-support laboratory, consists of a decision support software application used in the design of hybrid power systems, operating in stand-alone or grid-connected modes. This is used as tool in this project-based course. Hourly average wind speed and solar radiation data from the site for the generating unit and the anticipated load data were used to predict performances of the generating system. The support system consists of hybrid (wind, PV/solar, fuel cells, batteries, and diesel-engine generator) power generating systems for utilization as stand-alone or grid connected systems. The performance evaluation is later used in estimating the component sizes needed for generating systems to supply loads reliable. The decision support was implemented using MATLAB/Simulink and IDL software packages. Simple numerical algorithms and models were developed for the size of generation units and for various system components. A simple numerical algorithm was also developed for generation unit sizing. It was used to determine the optimum generation capacity and storage needed foe a stand-alone or grid-connected, wind, PV, and hybrid wind/PV system. The basic objective of this design support module is to complement the classroom teaching of theory concepts through the use of simulation software and to help students in their term design project. Although the program is designed primarily for educational purpose, it can be used to solve practical design problems.

1. Introduction.

The interest in renewable energy resources has been growing for several years due to their pollution free availability all over the world and the scarcity of oil and coal resources. The exploitation of renewable resources is also increasingly in demand by the public in order to expand the durability of fossil energy reserves and resources and to decrease harmful energy-related gas emissions. These facts make energy resources attractive for many applications. Of the many alternatives, the “Hybrid Power Systems”, where two or more power generation devices are combined to create a synergy with attributes that exceed the sum of the individual components has been considered a promising option toward meeting the continually increasing energy demands and the environmental concerns. “Hybrid Power Systems” are power generation systems in which a heat engine such as gas turbine or diesel engine is combined with one or more non-heat-engines, such as fuel cells, wind generation systems or photovoltaic systems.

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Belu, R., & Belu, A. C., & Cioca, L. (2007, June), A Decision Support Software Application For The Design Of Hybrid Solar Wind Power Systems ? As A Teaching Aid Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2900