Smart micro hybrid renewable energy systems

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Traditional "central" power plants are inefficient, result in considerable environmental impact, and are typically far from load centres. In contrast, renewable distributed generation plants, with energy sources such as wind and solar, result in increased energy efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, improved power quality and reliability, and reduced line losses. Wind and solar energy system designers face a significant problem in the random, fluctuating nature of these energy sources. However, it is generally observed that wind and sun intensity have a complementary nature; sunny days normally have calm winds, and strong winds often occur on cloudy days, in the evening and at night. Thus it is possible to achieve a more continuous energy supply with much higher generating capacity factors if wind and solar energy systems are combined with storage devices and/or local generating units in what is known as a hybrid setup, solving the problem of energy fluctuations in plant output. To reduce the size of energy storage devices and increase system reliability while maximizing renewable resource use, local distributed energy resources can be coupled to form micro-sources based on smart hybrid renewable energy systems. A micro-source with plug-and-play capability is versatile, as various kinds of energy sources can be added to or removed from the system at any time without affecting the performance of other units. Geographic location, green incentives, fuel costs, electricity price arbitrage, and grid reliability at the location are all involved in the selection of appropriate micro-source building units. In such smart hybrid micro-sources, control and management of power exchange among units is critical to achieve stable operation and optimal utilization of the hybrid system. The proposed research presents a comprehensive plan to address multiple issues related to control and power management of smart coupled hybrid systems for standalone and grid-connected applications.