Research on energy storage capacity configuration for PV power plants using uncertainty analysis and its applications

Compensating for photovoltaic(PV)power forecast errors is an important function of energy storage systems.As PV power outputs have strong random fluctuations and uncertainty,it is difficult to satisfy the grid-connection requirements using fixed energy storage capacity configuration methods.In this paper,a method of configuring energy storage capacity is proposed based on the uncertainty of PV power generation.A k-means clustering algorithm is used to classify weather types based on differences in solar irradiance.The power forecast errors in different weather types are analyzed,and an energy storage system is used to compensate for the errors.The kernel density estimation is used to fit the distributions of the daily maximum power and maximum capacity requirements of the energy storage system;the power and capacity of the energy storage unit are calculated at different confidence levels.The optimized energy storage configuration of a PV plant is presented according to the calculated degrees of power and capacity satisfaction.The proposed method was validated using actual operating data from a PV power station.The results indicated that the required energy storage can be significantly reduced while compensating for power forecast errors.

Biomass Homogeneity Reinforced Carbon Aerogels Derived Functional Phase-Change Materials for Solar–Thermal Energy Conversion and Storage

We deviseda functional form stable compositephase-change materials(PCMs)toachieve a three-dimensional(3D)interconnectedporous carbon aerogel structure for encapsulating polyethyleneglycol(PEG).Anovelhomogeneity reinforced carbonaerogel witha well-interconnected porous structure was constructed bycombining a flexible carbonresource from biomass guar gum with hard-brittle carbonfrom polyimide,to overcome severeshrinkage andpoor mechanical performance of traditionalcarbon aerogel.Thesupportingcarbon aerogel-encapsulated PEG produced thenovel composite PCMswithgood structure stability andcomprehensive energy storage performance.Theresults showed thatthecomposite PCMsdisplayed awell-defined 3Dinterconnected structure,and theirenergy storage capacities were 171.5 and169.5 J/g,which changed onlyslightlyafter 100 thermalcycles,andthe compositescould maintainthe equilibrium temperature at50.0−58.1℃ for about 760.3 s.The thermal conductivityofthe compositescould reach0.62 W m^(−1) K^(−1),which effectively enhanced the thermalresponse rate.And thecomposite PCMs exhibited good leakage-proof performance andexcellent light–thermal conversion.The compressive strengthof thecomposite PCMscan improveupto 1.602 MPa.Results indicatethatthisstrategy canbe efficiently usedtodevelop novel composite PCMswithimproved comprehensive thermalperformance and high light–thermal conversion.

Research on VSG Frequency Characteristics and Energy Storage Device Capacity and Charge-Discharge Characteristics Based on Feedforward Branch

Renewable energy is connected to the grid through the inverter,which in turn reduces the inertia and stability of the power grid itself.The traditional grid-connected inverter does not have the function of voltage regulation and frequency regulation and can therefore no longer adapt to the new development.The virtual synchronous generator(VSG)has the function of voltage regulation and frequency regulation,which has more prominent advantages than traditional inverters.Based on the principle of VSG,the relationship between the frequency characteristics and the energy storage capacity of the feedforward branch-based virtual synchronous machine(FVSG)is derived when the input power and grid frequency change.Reveal the relationship between the virtual inertia coefficient,damping coefficient,and frequency characteristics of VSG and energy storage capacity.An energy storage configuration method that meets the requirements of frequency variation characteristics is proposed.A mathematical model is established,and the Matlab/Simulink simulation software is used for modeling.The simulation results verify the relationship between the inertia coefficient,damping coefficient,and energy storage demand of the FVSG.

Impacts of solar multiple on the performance of direct steam generation solar power tower plant with integrated thermal storage

Solar multiple （SM） and thermal storage capacity are two key design parameters for revealing the performance of direct steam generation （DSG） solar power tower plant. In the case of settled land area, SM and thermal storage capacity can be optimized to obtain the minimum levelized cost of electricity （LCOE） by adjusting the power generation output. Taking the dual-receiver DSG solar power tower plant with a given size of solar field equivalent electricity of 100 MWe in Sevilla as a reference case, the minimum LCOE is 21.77 /kWhe with an SM of 1.7 and a thermal storage capacity of 3 h. Besides Sevilla, two other sites are also introduced to discuss the influence of annual DNI. When compared with the case of Sevilla, the minimum LCOE and optimal SM of the San Jose site change just slightly, while the minimum LCOE of the Bishop site decreases by 32.8% and the optimal SM is reduced to 1.3. The influence of the size of solar field equivalent electricity is studied as well. The minimum LCOE decreases with the size of solar field, while the optimal SM and thermal storage capacity still remain unchanged. In addition, the sensitivity of different investment in sub-system is investigated. In terms ofoptimal SM and thermal storage capacity, they can decrease with the cost of thermal storage system but increase with the cost of power generation unit.