Fundamental Concepts behind the Development of Gamma-Ray, Directed Energy Sources

We discuss novel advanced concepts suitable for the practical design of gamma-ray sources of directed energy. One concept is based on the self-channeling of a powerful optical laser in a gas within a metal tube. Another concept employs a direct excitation of a quadrupole nuclear level by a powerful optical laser. The third concept is based on the process of a high-order harmonic generation by an x-ray laser. All three concepts can be used for designing gamma-ray lasers that would have significant advantages over x-ray lasers. First, missile defense systems employing gamma-ray lasers would be weather independent. Second, the gamma-ray laser radiation can penetrate through the sand, which could be suspended in the air in a desert either naturally (due to strong winds) or artificially (as a protective “shield”). Besides, the first out of the three concepts can beemployed for creating non-laser gamma-ray sources of directed energy to be used for detecting stored radioactive materials, including the radioactive materials carried by an aircraft or a satellite. Last but not least: these concepts can be also used for remotely destroying biological and chemical weapons as a preemptive strike or during its delivery phase, as well as for distinguishing a nuclear warhead from decoy warheads. Thus, the defense capabilities of the proposed gamma-ray lasers can save numerous lives.

Cost Optimization Modeling of Renewable Energy Sources in Smart-Grid Using SCADA

In recent times, renewable energy production from renewable energy sources is an alternative way to fulfill the increased energy demands. However, the increasing energy demand rate places more pressure, leading to the termination of conventional energy resources. However, the cost of power generation from coal-fired plants is higher than the power generation’s price from renewable energy sources. This experiment is focused on cost optimization during power generation through pumped storage power plant and wind power plant. The entire modeling of cost optimization has been conducted in two parts. The mathematical modeling was done using MATLAB simulation while the hydro and wind power plant’s emulation was performed using SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition) designer implementation. The experiment was conducted using ranges of generated power from both power sources. The optimum combination of output power and cost from both generators is determined via MATLAB simulation within the assumed generated output power range. Secondly, the hydro-generator and wind generator’s emulation were executed individually through synchronizing the grid to determine each generator’s specification using SCADA designer, which provided the optimum power generation from both generators with the specific speed, aligning with results generated through MATLAB. Finally, the operational power cost (with no losses consideration) from MATLAB was compared with the local energy provider to determine the cost-efficiency. This experiment has provided the operational cost optimization of the hydro-wind combined power system with stable wind power generation using SCADA, which will ultimately assist in operations of large-scale power systems, remotely minimizing multi-area dynamic issues while maximizing the system efficiency.

Huaibei City——A Newly-Developed Energy Source Base in China

A newly developed energy source basein China,Huaibei City,is located inthe northern part of Anhui Province,under the direct control of the provincialgovernment.Under its jurisdiction,there arethree districts and one county,covering atotal area of 2725 sq km and with a populationof 1.8 million. The city boasts unique mineralresources.A total of 13 minerals have beensurveyed,including coal,iron and kaoline.The reserves of coal,the richest of all,areestimated at about 10 billion tons and theprospective reserves 35 billion tons.Basedon its coal resources,the city has set up 24pairs of large and modern mines with anannual production capacity of 20 milliontons,ranking fifth in the country.The

＂Falling Oil Prices＂ and ＂Crisis Awareness＂： Oil＇s Continued Reign as the World＇s Biggest Energy Source

On July 5,2017,BP released the BP Statistical Review of World Energy(2017)in Beijing,which reviews and analyzes the production and consumption of various types of energy in the world for the past year.Spencer Dale,BP’s chief economist,detailed global energy production and demand in 2006.He reported a piece of"big"news:the proportion of oil in the world’s primary energy consumption didn’t decrease in 2016,but rather

A Study on the Commonly Adopted Energy Sources and Production Systems for Domestic Hot Water in the Calabria Region (Italy)

Worldwide,there are many options to ensure domestic hot water(DHW)provision in dwellings.This study aimed to depict the distribution of energy sources and DHW production systems in the Calabria region.The research was focused on understanding which variables,among contextual variables and building characteristics,may influence the adoption of a particular energy source or production system.Descriptive statistics and chi-square test of independence have been developed.Significant relationships were found between the climatic zone and the energy source used as well as between the climatic zone and the production system installed in both households with a separated and a combined DHW production system.Furthermore,the population of the municipality and the dwelling type resulted to be significant variables for the preference of an energy source or the diffusion of a combined production system.

Optimal Pricing Strategy for Data Center Considering Demand Response and Renewable Energy Source Accommodation

With the continuous development of information technology,data centers(DCs)consume significant and evergrowing amounts of electrical energy.Renewable energy sources(RESs)can act as clean solutions to meet this requirement without polluting the environment.Each DC serves numerous users for their data service demands,which are regarded as flexible loads.In this paper,the willingness to pay and time sensitivities of DC users are firstly explored,and the user-side demand response is then devised to improve the overall benefits of DC operation.Then,a Stackelberg game between a DC and its users is proposed.The upper-level model aims to maximize the profit of the DC,in which the time-varying pricing of data services is optimized,and the lower-level model addresses user’s optimal decisions for using data services while balancing their time and cost requirements.The original bi-level optimization problem is then transformed into a single-level problem using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions and strong duality theory,which enables the problem to be solved efficiently.Finally,case studies are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method,as well as the effects of the time-varying data service price mechanism on the RES accommodation.

Energy Storage Systems Technologies, Evolution and Applications

Energy in its varied forms and applications has become the main driver of today’s modern society. However, recent changes in power demand and climatic changes (decarbonization policy) has awakened the need to rethink through the current energy generating and distribution system. This led to the exploration of other energy sources of which renewable energy (like thermal, solar and wind energy) is fast becoming an integral part of most energy system. However, this innovative and promising energy source is highly unreliable in maintaining a constant peak power that matches demand. Energy storage systems have thus been highlighted as a solution in managing such imbalances and maintaining the stability of supply. Energy storage technologies absorb and store energy, and release it on demand. This includes gravitational potential energy (pumped hydroelectric), chemical energy (batteries), kinetic energy (flywheels or compressed air), and energy in the form of electrical (capacitors) and magnetic fields. This paper provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of some of the state-of-the-art energy storage technologies, its evolution, classification, and comparison along with various area of applications. Also highlighted in this paper is a plethora of power electronic Interface technologies that plays a significant role in enabling optimum performance and utilization of energy storage systems in different areas of application.

Frequency-based control of islanded microgrid with renewable energy sources and energy storage

When a microgrid is mainly supplied by renewable energy sources(RESs), the frequency deviations may deteriorate significantly the power quality delivered to the loads. This paper proposes a frequency-based control strategy, ensuring the frequency among the strict limits imposed by the Standard EN 50160. The frequency of the microgrid common AC bus is determined by the energy storage converter, implementing a proposed droop curve among the state of charge(SoC) of the battery and the frequency. Therefore, the information of the SoC becomes known to every distributed energy resource(DER) of the microgrid and determines the active power injection of the converter-interfaced DERs. The active power injection of the rotating generators remains unaffected, while any mismatch among the power generation and consumption is absorbed by the energy storage system. Finally, in case of a solid short-circuit within the microgrid, the energy storage system detects the severe voltage decrease and injects a large current in order to clear the fault by activating the protection device closer to the fault. The proposed control methodology is applied in a microgrid with PVs, wind generators and a battery, while its effectiveness is evaluated by detailed simulation tests.

Double-uncertainty optimal operation of hybrid AC/DC microgrids with high proportion of intermittent energy sources

This paper applies double-uncertainty optimization theory to the operation of AC/DC hybrid microgrids to deal with uncertainties caused by a high proportion of intermittent energy sources.A fuzzy stochastic expectation economic model for day-ahead scheduling based on uncertain optimization theory is proposed to minimize the operational costs of hybrid AC/DC microgrids.The fuzzy stochastic alternating direction multiplier method is proposed to solve the double-uncertainty optimization problem.A real-time intra-day unbalanced power adjustment model is established to minimize real-time adjustment costs.Through comparative analysis of deterministic optimization,stochastic optimization and fuzzy stochastic optimization of day-ahead scheduling and real-time adjustment,the validity of fuzzy stochastic optimization based on a fuzzy stochastic expectation model is proved.

Multi-objective energy management in microgrids with hybrid energy sources and battery energy storage systems

Microgrid with hybrid renewable energy sources is a promising solution where the distribution network expansion is unfeasible or not economical.Integration of renewable energy sources provides energy security,substantial cost savings and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,enabling nation to meet emission targets.Microgrid energy management is a challenging task for microgrid operator(MGO)for optimal energy utilization in microgrid with penetration of renewable energy sources,energy storage devices and demand response.In this paper,optimal energy dispatch strategy is established for grid connected and standalone microgrids integrated with photovoltaic(PV),wind turbine(WT),fuel cell(FC),micro turbine(MT),diesel generator(DG)and battery energy storage system(ESS).Techno-economic benefits are demonstrated for the hybrid power system.So far,microgrid energy management problem has been addressed with the aim of minimizing operating cost only.However,the issues of power losses and environment i.e.,emission-related objectives need to be addressed for effective energy management of microgrid system.In this paper,microgrid energy management(MGEM)is formulated as mixedinteger linear programming and a new multi-objective solution is proposed for MGEM along with demand response program.Demand response is included in the optimization problem to demonstrate it’s impact on optimal energy dispatch and techno-commercial benefits.Fuzzy interface has been developed for optimal scheduling of ESS.Simulation results are obtained for the optimal capacity of PV,WT,DG,MT,FC,converter,BES,charging/discharging scheduling,state of charge of battery,power exchange with grid,annual net present cost,cost of energy,initial cost,operational cost,fuel cost and penalty of greenhouse gases emissions.The results show that CO_(2) emissions in standalone hybrid microgrid system is reduced by 51.60%compared to traditional system with grid only.Simulation results obtained with the proposed method is compared with various evolutionary algorithms to verify it’s effectiveness.

A critical review of the integration of renewable energy sources with various technologies

Wind power, solar power and water power are technologies that can be used as the main sources of renewable energy so that the target of decarbonisation in the energy sector can be achieved. However, when compared with conventional power plants, they have a significant difference. The share of renewable energy has made a difference and posed various challenges, especially in the power generation system. The reliability of the power system can achieve the decarbonization target but this objective often collides with several challenges and failures, such that they make achievement of the target very vulnerable, Even so, the challenges and technological solutions are still very rarely discussed in the literature. This study carried out specific investigations on various technological solutions and challenges, especially in the power system domain. The results of the review of the solution matrix and the interrelated technological challenges are the most important parts to be developed in the future. Developing a matrix with various renewable technology solutions can help solve RE challenges. The potential of the developed technological solutions is expected to be able to help and prioritize them especially cost-effective energy. In addition, technology solutions that are identified in groups can help reduce certain challenges. The categories developed in this study are used to assist in determining the specific needs and increasing transparency of the renewable energy integration process in the future.

Energy management of micro renewable energy source and electric vehicles at home level

As renewable energy source(RES)tend to be integrated more and more at home and electric vehicles(EVs)take a greater share in the personal automobile market,users see a chance to charge their EVs by microRES.In this context,this paper presents a review about opportunities and challenges needed to be overcome by the EV users to implement a vehicle to home system in their homes,as well as the integration of micro-RES.Several practical scenarios are presented,with different demand profiles,by integrating renewable energy that could be used to charge the EV.

Controlled Islanding Strategy Considering Uncertainty of Renewable Energy Sources Based on Chance-constrained Model

Controlled islanding plays an essential role in preventing the blackout of power systems.Although there are several studies on this topic in the past,no enough attention is paid to the uncertainty brought by renewable energy sources(RESs)that may cause unpredictable unbalanced power and the observabilit>T of power systems after islanding that is essential for back-up black-start measures.Therefore,a novel controlled islanding model based on mixed-integer second-order cone and chance-constrained programming(MISOCCP)is proposed to address these issues.First,the uncertainty of RESs is characterized by their possibility distribution models with chance constraints,and the requirements,e.g.,system observability,for rapid back-up black-start measures are also considered.Then,a law of large numbers(LLN)based method is em-ployed for converting the chance constraints into deterministic ones and reformulating the non-convex model into convex one.Finally,case studies on the revised IEEE 39-bus and 118-bus power systems as well as the comparisons among different models are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.The results show that the proposed model can result in less unbalanced power and better observability after islanding compared with other models.

Deployment of wireless sensor network in dispersed renewable energy sources for increasing efficiency of power distribution networks

In this work,a novel performance analysis method for evaluating the robustness of emerging power distribution networks(PDNs),which involve deployable renewable energy sources,is proposed.This is realized with the aid of the outage probability(OP)criterion in the context of cooperative communications,which is widely considered in modern wireless communication systems.The main usefulness of this method is that it allows the involved components to communicate to each-other by means of a robust and flexible wireless sensor network architecture.In this context,any conventional medium voltage(MV)bus of the PDN is represented as a wireless relay node where data signals gathered from each MV bus can be forwarded reliably to a control station for the subsequent processing.The received signals at wireless nodes are decoded and then forwarded to ensure minimal errors and maximal robustness at the receiving site.The considered OP analysis denotes the probability that the power of a received information signal drops below a pre-defined threshold which satisfies the acceptable Quality of Service requirements of a reliable signal reception.To this end,simple closed-form expressions are proposed for the OP of a regenerative cooperative-based PDN in the presence of various multipath fading effects,which degrade information signals during wireless transmission.The offered results are rather simple and provide meaningful insights for the design and deployment of smart grid systems.

Optimization management of hybrid energy source of fuel cell truck based on model predictive control using traffic light information

Energy optimization management can make fuel cell truck(FCT)power system more efficient,so as to improve vehicle fuel economy.When the structure of power source system and the torque distribution strategy are determined,the essence is to find the reasonable distribution of electric power between the fuel cell and other energy sources.The paper simulates the assistance of the intelligent transport system(ITS)and carries out the eco-velocity planning using the traffic signal light.On this basis,in order to further improve the energy efficiency of FCT,a model predictive control(MPC)-based energy source optimization management strategy is innovatively developed,which uses Dijkstra algorithm to achieve the minimization of equivalent hydrogen consumption.Under the scenarios of signalized intersections,based on the planned eco-velocity,the off-line simulation results show that the proposed MPC-based energy source management strategy(ESMS)can reduce hydrogen consumption of fuel cell up to 7%compared with the existing rule-based ESMS.Finally,the Hardware-in-the-Loop(HiL)simulation test is carried out to verify the effectiveness and real-time performance of the proposed MPC-based energy source optimization management strategy for the FCT based on eco-velocity planning with the assistance of traffic light information.

KPI-based Real-time Situational Awareness for Power Systems with a High Proportion of Renewable Energy Sources

With the increasing complexity of power systems and the widespread penetration of renewable energy sources(RES),real-time situational awareness for power systems is of great significance for operational scheduling.Considering the impact of RES on power system operations,a situational awareness key performance index(KPI)system for power systems with a high proportion of RES is proposed in this paper,which consists of reserve capacity abundance,ramp resource abundance,center of inertia(COI)frequency deviation,interface power flow margin,synthesized voltage stability,and angle stability margin.Then,the KPIs are synthesized and visualized by the decision tree method and radar chart method,respectively,for monitoring the operation states(i.e,normal,alert,and emergency states)of power systems with a high proportion of RES.Numerical simulations are conducted in a revised New England 16-machine 68-bus power system and an actual CEPRI-RE power system in the northwest region of China with a high proportion of RES.The results show that the proposed KPI-based situational awareness method is able to accurately monitor the real-time state of power systems with a high proportion of RES,and can assist power dispatchers to make effective decisions.

Review on Renewable Energy Source Fault Characteristics Analysis

The increase of renewable energy sources(RESs),especially wind power and photovoltaic,is bringing different fault features to the power system compared with the traditional syn-chronous generator,resulting in the urgent need for precise fault analysis.According to the sequentially activated fault features,the short circuit characteristics of RES can be divided into three fault stages.Within the staged framework of fault duration,the published research is reviewed to provide a systematic analysis of RES fault characteristics.It's concluded that the hardware parameter determines the sub-transient fault features of RES,whereas RES control begins to dominate during the following transient stage.However,the neglection of voltage transition and unavailable RES output phase shall impede the application of the analytical conclusions in protection design.To solve the existing problems,interaction among RES and networks must be figured out.Therefore,the fault calculation of the integral RES-grid system is offered as the research prospect.

Adaptive coordination control strategy of renewable energy sources,hydrogen production unit,and fuel celi for frequency regulation of a hybrid distributed power system

Owing to the significant number of hybrid generation systems(HGSs)containing various energy sources,coordina-tion between these sources plays a vital role in preserving frequency stability.In this paper,an adaptive coordination control strategy for renewable energy sources(RESs),an aqua electrolyzer(AE)for hydrogen production,and a fuel cell(FC)-based energy storage system(ESS)is proposed to enhance the frequency stability of an HGS.In the proposed system,the excess energy from RESs is used to power electrolysis via an AE for hydrogen energy storage in FCs.The proposed method is based on a proportional-integral(Pl)controller,which is optimally designed using a grey wolf optimization(GWO)algorithm to estimate the surplus energy from RESs(ie,a proportion of total power generation of RESs:Kn).The studied HGS contains various types of generation systems including a diesel generator,wind tur-bines,photovoltaic(PV)systems,AE with FCs,and ESSs(e.g.,battery and flywheel).The proposed method varies Kn with varying frequency deviation values to obtain the best benefits from RESs,while damping the frequency fluc-tuations.The proposed method is validated by considering different loading conditions and comparing with other existing studies that consider Kn as a constant value.The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method,which changes Kn value and subsequently stores the power extracted from the RESs in hydrogen energy storage according to frequency deviation changes,performs better than those that use constant Kn.The statistical analysis for frequency deviation of HGS with the proposed method has the best values and achieves large improvements for minimum,maximum,difference between maximum and minimum,mean,and standard deviation compared to the existing method.

Alternative Energy Sources Gain Worldwide

风能和太阳能展示新的希望:清洁、廉价并能创造新的就业机会,难怪许多国家竞相发展。

Bark content variations and the production of Populus deltoides as a source of bioenergy under temperate climate conditions

Bark biomass as an energy source has a high economic value.Bark content variations and production helps recognize the potential of this bioenergy source spatially before harvesting.The percentage of fresh and dry bark in Populus deltoides grown under a monoculture system was examined in the temperate region of northern Iran.Diameter at breast height(DBH)and total height data were analyzed based on an initial inventory.Ten sample trees were felled,separated into 2 m-segments,and weighted in the field.A 5-cm-thick disc from each segment was extracted for determining fresh and dry bark percentages.These were statistically significantly different in disc diameter classes and decreased with increasing disc diameters.Bark percentage of the disc classes ranged from 21.8 to 24.4%in small-sized diameters to 8.1-9.3%in large-sized diameters.The differences between fresh and dry bark percentages depended on water content variations.Allometric power equations were fitted to data of fresh and dry bark percentages and disc diameters as well as DBH.The values of R~2 ranged from 0.89 to 0.90.In addition,allometric power equations provided the best fits for relationships between total stem dry biomass,dry bark biomass,and DBH,R~2=0.986 and 0.979 for the total stem dry biomass and stem dry bark biomass,respectively.The allometric models can be used to estimate bark percentage and bark production of P.deltoides in segments and for the whole stem for a wide range of segment diameters(8-44 cm)and DBH(15-45 cm).