This project involves collecting, formatting, and analyzing power system data from a representative number of Alaska rural villages served by the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA). The specific goals of this project are the:
University of Alaska (UAF), Fairbanks, AK
Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), Anchorage, AK
Alaska's rural village electric utilities are isolated from the Alaska rail belt electrical grid inter-tie and from each other. Different strategies have been developed for providing power to meet demand in each of these rural communities. Many of these communities rely on DEGs for power. Some villages have installed hybrid power systems and automated systems for controlling the DEGs and other sources of power. For example, Lime Village has installed a diesel battery photovoltaic hybrid system, Kotzebue and Wales have a wind-diesel hybrid system, and McGrath has installed a highly automated system for controlling diesel generators. But poor power quality and diesel engine efficiency in village power systems increases the cost of meeting the load. Power quality problems may consist of poor power factor or waveform disturbances, while diesel engine efficiency depends primarily on loading, the fuel type, the engine temperature, and the use of waste heat for nearby buildings. These costs take the form of increased fuel use, increased generator maintenance, and decreased reliability. With the cost of fuel in some villages approaching $8.00/gallon, a modest 5 percent decrease in fuel use can result in saving thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars annually—depending on village load and the cost of corrective measures.
Results
Project accomplishments include:
In addition, online remote monitoring systems will be installed by the end of summer 2007 at Buckland, Chefornak, Diomede, Larsen Bay Hydro Facility, and Ouzinkie Diesel Powerhouse and Hydro Facility. The project has selected an additional village within AEA’s service territory, Kipnuk, to install new remote monitoring switchgear with project equipment and AEA subcontract funds.
Benefits
The main goal of this project is to create a partnership with rural utilities and State energy organizations to coordinate the collection of energy system data in a representative set of rural Alaska communities in order to establish general performance assessments and identify strengths and weaknesses of plant operations. These results will be used to improve system design and operation. The benefits of this project are that the energy, economic, and environmental profiles of each system will be determined and used to develop a long-term performance assessment through monitoring and analysis of village power system data. The results of the data analysis will be efficiency and power quality reports for AEA and each respective village utility that can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of plant operations, including an economic assessment with projections of life-cycle cost savings and payback based on corrective measures. Results of the analysis will be available for AEA and the rural utilities to use in the implementation of diesel engine efficiency and power quality improvement measures for each village.
Summary
The research will be conducted in cooperation with AEA. The project technical approach involves monitoring and analyzing the performance of a representative number of systems that reflect general operating conditions in the overall service territory. This includes 1) data collection and formatting; 2) the evaluation of monitoring systems (specifically, remote terminal units, sensors, and flow meters); and 3) analysis of data from village power systems.
In order to meet these needs, the project performers will:
(February 2008)
The project is completed. The final project report is listed below under "Additional Information".
Funding
This project was selected through DOE in response to a request for proposals under a cooperative agreement through Arctic Energy Technology and Development Laboratory under solicitation number DE-FC26-01NT41248.
$287,225
$84,175 (22.66% of total)
NETL – Purna Halder ( Purna.Halder@NETL.DOE.Gov 918-699-2084)
U. of Alaska Fairbanks – Richard Wies (ffrww@uaf.edu or 907-474-7071)
AEA – Peter Crimp (pcrimp@aidea.org or 907-269-4631)
Publications
Barnes, D.L., Wilson, T., and Wies, R.W., Environment, People, and Resources in the North, Contaminants in Cold Regions: Remediation and Restoration, Erickson, K., and Duffy, L., (Eds.), University of Alaska Press, in press.
Wies, R.W., Johnson, R.A., and Agrawal, A.N., “Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Environmental Impacts of Integrating Wind-Turbine Generators (WTGs) into Standalone Hybrid Power Systems,” WSEAS Transactions on Systems, Vol. 4, No. 9, 2005, pp. 1383–1393.
Wies, R.W., Agrawal, A.N., and Chubb, T.J., “Optimization of a PV with Diesel-Battery System for Remote Villages,” International Energy Journal, Vol. 6, No.1, Part 3, 2005, pp. 107–118.
Wies, R.W., Johnson, R.A., Agrawal, A.N., and Chubb, T.J., “Simulink Model for Economic Analysis and Environmental Impacts of a PV with Diesel-Battery System for Remote Villages,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2005, pp. 692–700.
Wies, R.W., Agrawal, A.N., Johnson, R.A., and Chubb, T.J., “Implementation of a Remote Terminal Unit on a Diesel Electric Generator for Performance Analysis of Remote Power Systems in Rural Alaska,” 2005 Alaska Rural Energy Conference, Valdez, AK.
Wies, R.W., Johnson, R.A., and Agrawal, A.N., “Integration of Wind-Turbine Generators (WTGs) into Hybrid Distributed Generation Systems in Extreme Northern Climates,” 2005 Alaska Rural Energy Conference, Valdez, AK.
Wies, R.W., Johnson, R.A., and Agrawal, A.N., “Integration of Wind-Turbine Generators (WTGs) into Standalone Hybrid Power Systems in Extreme Northern Climates,” 5th WSEAS International Conference on Power Systems and Electromagnetic Compatibility, Corfu Island, Greece, 2005.
Wies, R.W., Johnson, R.A., Agrawal, A.N., and Chubb, T.J., “Using HOMER and Simulink for Long-Term Performance Analysis of a Hybrid Electric Power System in a Remote Alaskan Village,” NREL World Renewable Energy Congress VIII, Denver, CO, 2004.
Wies, R.W., Johnson, R.A., Agrawal, A.N., and Chubb, T.J., “Economic Analysis and Environmental Impacts of a PV with Diesel-Battery System for Remote Villages,” Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE Power Engineering Society General Meeting, Denver, CO, 2004.
Wies, R.W., Agrawal, A.N., Chubb, T.J., and Johnson, R.A., “Simulink Model for Economic Analysis & Environmental Impacts of a Photovoltaic with Diesel-Battery System for Remote Villages,” 2004 Alaska Rural Energy Conference, Talkeetna AK, 2004.
Wies, R.W., Agrawal, A.N.,and Chubb, T.J., “Electric Power Quality of Distributed Generation Systems in Rural Alaskan Villages,” 2004 Alaska Rural Energy Conference, Talkeetna, AK, 2004.
Wies, R.W., Agrawal, A.N., and Chubb, T.J., “Optimization of a PV with Diesel-Battery System for Remote Villages,” International Conference on Electric Supply Industry in Transition, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, 2004.
Wies, R.W., and Agrawal, A.N., “Integration of Wind-Turbine Generators (WTGs) into Hybrid Distributed Generation Systems in Extreme Northern Climates,” Proceedings of the 2003 International Yukon Wind Energy Conference: Cold Climate Opportunities, 2003.
Wies, R.W., and Agrawal, A.N., “Modeling and Optimization of Hybrid Electric Power Systems for Remote Locations in Extreme Climates,” Proceedings of the 2003 IASTED International Conference on Power and Energy Systems, paper 379-190, pp. 241–246, 2003.