Wind Diesel 101

Rich Stromberg
Alaska Energy Authority
Seward/AVTEC - Feb 2013

AEA Wind Program Values

http://www.akenergyauthority.org/programwind.html

Involve the local community throughout all aspects of the project to

increase local ownership.
Be kind when judging our predecessors. They didnt have the
benefit of the hindsight we now possess.
Make data-driven decisions.
Admit when were wrong.
Approach problems and projects holistically. Developed integrated
solutions.
There is great opportunity to increase cost savings and learning
when we improve existing wind systems.
Think and plan for the long term.
Understand that wind energy isnt always the best solution.

This will be on the test!

First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy can be
changed from one form to another, but it
cannot be created or destroyed. Everything we do with village
energy systems is based on
these two concepts.

An important facet of the Second Law of

Thermodynamics (which deals with entropy):
In the process of energy transfer, some energy
will dissipate as heat.
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What makes the wind?

What makes the wind?

Global Wind Patterns

Zooming in, winds become more

complex and variable.

Zooming in, winds become more

complex and variable.

Zooming in, winds become more

complex and variable.

How windy is it, really?

Anecdotal weather data or observations can

be deceptive. For example:

A few windy days get some people wanting to install wind

turbines.
It only takes one rainy day for people to think that fire
danger is reduced.
A short cold spell can fool us into not seeing an overall
warming trend.
Our bodies can sense the weather, but we need to collect
data to understand the long-term climate.

What matters is the wind speed throughout

the course of an entire year.

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How windy is it, really?

The formula for wind power is:

Power = 0.5 x Rotor Swept Area x Air Density x Velocity3

Thus, doubling the wind speed from 3

meters/sec to 6 meters/sec increases the
power by 8X.
7 meters/sec wind speed adds another 58%
increase in wind power over 6 meters/sec.

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How windy is it, really?

Measure the wind for a minimum of one year.

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How windy is it, really?

Met towers require a permit from the FAA

and consultation with US Fish & Wildlife,
State Historic Preservation Office and possibly
other agencies.

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What the raw data shows

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Summarize data into information

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Summarize data into information

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Shape of the wind distribution

Probability Distibution Function, All Sectors

12

Frequency (%)

0
0

10
Actual data

15
Speed 29.2 A (m /s)
Best-fit Weibull distribution (k=1.99, c=7.39 m/s)

20

25

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Wind distribution vs. turbine power curve

Probability Distibution Function, All Sectors

12

Frequency (%)

0
0

10
Actual data

15
Speed 29.2 A (m /s)
Best-fit Weibull distribution (k=1.99, c=7.39 m/s)

20

25

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Wind distribution vs. turbine power curve

Probability Distibution Function, All Sectors

12

Frequency (%)

0
0

10
Actual data

15
Speed 29.2 A (m /s)
Best-fit Weibull distribution (k=1.99, c=7.39 m/s)

20

25

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Wind distribution vs. turbine power curve

Probability Distibution Function, All Sectors

12

Frequency (%)

0
0

10
Actual data

15
Speed 29.2 A (m /s)
Best-fit Weibull distribution (k=1.99, c=7.39 m/s)

20

25

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Wind Classifications
Class 1/Poor: Pursue options other than wind
Class 2/Marginal: High costs of development in rural Alaska prevent
an economical project.
Class 3/Fair: A large project on the Railbelt may be cost effective.
Remote village projects may have a payback longer than the 20year life of wind turbines.
Class 4/Good: A well-designed project will have a payback of 15-20
years.
Class 5/Excellent: A well-designed project will have a payback of 1215 years.
Class 6/Outstanding: A well-designed project will have a payback of
10-12 years, but damaging high-wind events may be a concern.
Class 7/Superb: Project developer may want to use a smaller rotor
or find a sheltered site to protect turbines from periodic damaging
winds.
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Harnessing the winds energy

Kinetic energy in the wind
is converted into rotation
of the main turbine shaft
as air moving across the
rotor creates lift, turning
the rotor and main shaft.
Early forms of wind
turbines/mills may have
used the principle of drag
instead of lift, but lift is
more efficient.
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Wind turbine drive train

Rotor
attaches
here

Brake

Gear box

Generator
Yaw motor
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A Typical Remote Alaska Village

Washeteria
Power house

Tank Farm
School

Residences

Residences

Wind turbines

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Wind-Diesel system challenges

The design and integration of power systems is a
complex matter and although the models make it look
simple, it is never that easy.
By their nature renewable generation are stochastic
(uncontrolled) and vary with the resource.
The amount of variation and thus the amount of
system control to handle the variation depends on the
Renewable resource being used
The load
Power system design

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Can your existing electrical distribution system

support wind technology?
Do you have newer diesel gensets with fast, electronic
injection controls or mechanical governors?
Are your gensets sized so that you can run at optimum fuel
efficiency both when the wind is blowing and when its calm?
Are your distribution lines, transformers and meters up to
code?
Are your phases balanced?
If you cant answer yes to all of these questions, you could
save more money by fixing your existing power system.
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Different Integration Issues

There are two general types of integration issues
mechanical and electrical
Mechanical: The connecting of different
devices within the power system and making
them work together.
Electrical: Insuring that the power system
power quality is sufficient to meet the needs
of the customers
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Building Design and Space

Adding new equipment can
take up a lot of space
Switch gear
Grid stability equipment
Control boxes
Spare parts
Building design may be
problematic
Heating
Layout
Living arrangements
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Making Sure the Equipment Can Talk

Supervisory Control
Component Controls
Diesels
Wind turbines
System stability devices

Controlled thermal loads

May be installed in other
buildings
Switching speed
Outside control
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Upgrading Diesel Controls

Diesels will need to operate in an automatic fashion, which may require the
upgrading of the diesel controls, but allow for manual operation if needed
Automatic startup and synchronization
Load sharing
Speed control
Retrofit of existing diesel units can be complicated
Age of unit
Governor design
Fuel system
Compatibility, such as generator pitch
Space constraints within the power house and on the
diesels themselves

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Plant Synchronization
In many older (and smaller) plants only one diesel is run at a single
time.
Allowing more than one diesel to operate can be quite a problem,
even following the addition of new controls
Governor design
Generator compatibility pitch
Fuel system feed and return lines
Cooling system configuration and pumping
Automated start and control capabilities will likely result in more diesel
starts, most unattended, which may require the revamping of the
diesel start system and starter battery.

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Cooling System
Current diesel plants have many different types of cooling systems some integrated,
some not, but all provide primary heat to the power plant and sometimes other
buildings as well.
In almost all cases the operation of the diesels provide more than enough heat for the
plants needs, but in high penetration systems we would like to shut off the diesels
Plant goes from heat surplus to heat deficit.
To allow fast starting of the diesel engines, diesels in fast start mode must be kept
warm
May require revamping of the cooling systems
Implementation of electric boilers to allow use of wind energy
Allow specific engine cooling systems to be separated
Better energy management
Different or conflicting pumping requirements.
Heat efficiency of plant buildings may need to be considered

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Integration of System Electronics

Integration of a power system means that the plant must
insure high Power Quality during and following the
change
Variable renewable penetration of system
Power flow questions
Voltage variation on feeder lines
Level of technology/control existing in diesel plant
If at any time you are not producing enough power,
power system will collapse
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Types of Power Quality

System stability - reliable power: Having power
when you should have it.

Unscheduled blackouts
System failures
Voltage and frequency within acceptable limits
System power factor not overtaxing power system

The level of harmonic distortion -is the power

being delivered usable?
Changing structure of the power
Sub-cycle quality of the power
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System Stability
Driven by maintaining system voltage, frequency and
reactive power supply.
Voltage: Currently uses an active controller on the
diesel. Alternatives are synchronous condensers or a
battery bank and solid state or rotary power converter.
Frequency: A balance of power supply and demand,
controlled by the throttle of the diesel. Can be solved
through the use of dump loads or power converters.
Power Factor: Balancing active and reactive power as
needed by the inductive motors and electronics on the
system. Capacitor banks, motors or advanced solid
state power converters.
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Supply Side Options

Options that affect only the power system as seen

from the grid

Dump Loads: Fast acting

resistors to balance the
generation and load.
Dispatchable loads: Block
heaters to use excess energy.
Synchronous Condenser:
Provides reactive power and
controls voltage.
Advanced power converters
and small battery bank: Used
to assist in managing power
flows, power smoothing.
Active renewable control:
Control power output of the
renewable device.
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Demand Side Options

Control options that can be completed on the grid

side to support system power quality

Distinction between critical and non critical

loads
Dispatchable loads like resistance heating
Loads shedding where non-critical loads
Protection of sensitive loads

Installation of capacitors to smooth out rapid

system fluctuations and partially correct
systems power factor.
Replacing large inefficient loads
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Penetration
Instantaneous Penetration:
Voltage and frequency control
Reactive power
Instantaneous Penetration = Wind Power Output (kW)/Primary Electrical Load (kW)

Average Penetration: (generally a month or a year)

Total energy savings
Loading on the diesel engines
Spinning reserve losses/efficiencies
Average Penetration = Wind Energy Produced (kWh)/Primary Energy Demand (kWh)

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Old Wind Penetration Classes

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Excess Electricity vs. Wind Penetration Level - Alaska Village Systems

60.0%

50.0%

Net electricity has greater economic benefit because it

offsets 35% efficient diesel gensets with 100% efficient wind
power (~65% benefit). Excess electricity has less economic
benefit because it offsets 85% efficient heating oil boilers
with 95% efficient electric boilers (~10% benefit).
* Graph assumes diesel gensets can run at min 15% loading.

% Excess Electricity

40.0%

30.0%

% Excess Electricity
Linear (% Excess Electricity)
y = 0.5589x - 0.0261
R = 0.7956

20.0%
Actual UNK Data

10.0%

0.0%
0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

Avg. Wind Penetration

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New Wind Penetration Classes

Penetration
Operating Characteristics
Class
Diesel runs full time
Wind power reduces net load on diesel
Very Low
All wind energy goes to primary load
No supervisory control system
Diesel runs full time
At high wind power levels, secondary loads are
Low
dispatched to insure sufficient diesel loading or
wind generation is curtailed.
Requires relatively simple control system
Diesel runs full-time
At medium to high wind power levels, secondary
loads are dispatched to insure sufficient diesel
Medium loading.
More complex secondary load control system is
needed to ensure that heat loads do not become
saturated during extended windy periods.
Diesels may be shut down during high wind
availability
High
Auxiliary components are required to regulate
voltage and frequency
Requires sophisticated control system

Instantaneous Average
Penetration
Penetration
<60%

<8%

60% - 120%

8%-20%

120%-300%

20%-50%

300%-900%

50%-150%

Exact
numbers are
not
sacrosanct.

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Low Penetration W/D Specifications

Equipment
Wind turbine or series of turbines
Dump load to smooth out power fluctuations
Capacitor bank used correct power factor if needed

Control
Wind turbine monitoring
Power control of wind turbines possible but not
required
Minor controls to allow remote turbine shut down in
extreme cases
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Medium Pen W/D Specifications

Equipment

Wind turbine or series of turbines

Dump load to smooth out power fluctuations
Dispatchable loads to reduce loading on diesels and help
control system frequency - May have capacitor bank

Control

Wind turbine controls

Power control of wind turbines possible but not required
Diesel control
System controller to maintain system stability and dispatch
primary diesels and wind turbines as needed
Some power forecasting may be implemented
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Batteries in Medium Penetration W/D Systems

Batteries can play a role
in medium penetration
systems
Used for short periods of
load/supply time shifting
Not intended for dieseloff operation
An option to be weighed
against/with more
secondary loads,
synchronous condensers
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Batteries in Medium Penetration W/D Systems

Many types

Lead Acid (deep cycle and

shallow cycle)

NiCad
Two uses/sizing:

Store energy to cover long periods

(residential)
Store power to cover short periods
(community wind-diesel)

Requires periodic replacement

Sensitive to environment
Life dependent on use and the
environment

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Systems and Components

Hybrid power systems are made up of
separate pieces of equipment that are brought
together to form a cohesive power system
Configuration and component size depend on
the load and resource available at site
Controlling the power systems is a complicated
question, both logically and technically.
Must understand the components
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Dispatchable Generators
Generators that can be
turned on with short notice.
Diesel, Gas, Natural Gas,
Bio-gas

Usually require a lot of

maintenance
Role depends on system
design.
Wide range of old and
new technology
Wide range of control

40 kW Diesel Generator

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Other Active Power Control

Allows active control of
grid stability
Allows access to small
amounts of instantaneous
power
Generally modular
Spinning losses
Long research history,
very short operational
experience

Flywheel

Low Load Diesel

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Power Smoothing and Conditioning

Help to control voltage
and balance active and
reactive power needs on
the grid
Primarily used when all
diesel engines have been
shut off
Might provide limited
storage
Has a standing loss

75 kW Synchronous
Condenser

Grid
Conditioner
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Secondary Loads and Community Heating

Remove excess energy
from the grid
Help to control frequency
Made of resistive heating
elements and some control
Two uses
Dispatched to provide
heating (value added)
Fast-reacting heating
elements exhausting to the
open air. (dump load)
100 kW dump load
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System Controls
The things that make
everything work together.
Individual components
and central control
High speed (behind the
scene) and general control
Can Reduce staffing
costs and increase service
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Monitoring and Remote Access

Remote access allows
oversight of system
performance
Enables real time system
interrogation and
troubleshooting even when
off site
With expert analysis
system reduces
maintenance and down time
Small incremental cost
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Financial Impacts of PCE on W-D

Village name:

Anuqamute

Total kWh produced:

3,202,657
kWh sold:
3,065,046
Station service:
137,611 4.49%
PCE eligible residential kWh:
747,592 24.39%
PCE eligible community facilities kWh:
514,346 16.78%
Non PCE and commercial kWh:
1,803,108 58.83%
Diesel kWh:
2,202,657 68.78%
Wind kWh:
1,000,000 31.22%
Non fuel expenses:
$777,960
Fuel expenses
$622,165
Calculated res/comm rate - before PCE
$0.4568 Without wind energy
Calculated PCE reduction
$0.2973 Without wind energy
Calculated residential rate after PCE
$0.1595 Without wind energy
Fuel expense with wind energy
$436,460
Drop in fuel cost per kWh with wind
$0.0606
Calculated res/comm rate with wind
$0.3962 With wind energy
Drop in Calculated residential rate
$0.0606
Calculated PCE reduction with wind
$0.2397 With wind energy
Drop in PCE discount with wind
$0.0576
Calculated residential post PCE rate
$0.1565 With wind energy
Actual change to residential rate after PCE----->
$0.0030
Actual change to commercial rate with wind energy
$0.0606
* Actual rates will be higher when residential customers exceed the 500kWh per month PCE limit.

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Conclusions
Many design options for hybrid systems

Very low penetration - relatively easy but minimal fuel savings

Low penetration - generally easy and simple
Medium penetration - more complex, challenging to find value-add
secondary loads
High penetration - very complex, expensive and leading-edge

There is a lot of off the shelf technology that can be used to

implement these systems but some level of skill is required to make
them work
Power quality is a key issue, but not an insurmountable problem at
any penetration
Approach is the same as building a power station, just different
technology being implemented
Many organizations that would be willing to assist in any project
development activity
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