University of Tasmania, Australia

Coupling of wind power and hydraulic power generation for minimal storage grid stabilization

Wind power is of central interest in renewable energy research because of its wide availability and zero-consumption of natural resources. However, the cost to use it is still quite high due to conflicts between the variability of the wind and the stability required of the power system. One common solution for this issue is to decouple the wind power from direct generation and use it for generating effective storage; such as hydrogen cells. However, the cost of such a solution is comparatively high and its future depends on significant reduction in the cost of power storage and power loss in the storage process.  The aim of this project is to evaluate a promising solution from a systematic view of power system. Given the electrical power generated in a power system by multiple power sources, the system stability can be maintained by compensating the wind power volatility with “negative volatility” generated from other energy sources. A natural candidate might be the hydraulic power.

Coupling wind power generator with an appropriate hydraulic power generator is to be studied to explore the proposed solution. Firstly, mathematical models of wind power generators, hydraulic power generators are coupled together, with characteristics of stability/instability, studied.  Secondly, advanced control techniques including nonlinear H-infinity control and optimal model predictive control will be applied to analyse the coupled system property in power grid environment. Lastly, based on the outcomes of the earlier analysis, effective control methods will be developed to regulate the hydraulic power generation to compensate the wind power volatility. Theoretical analysis, supported by simulation experiments, will also be provided to give the working margin of the proposed solution.