Energy management of hybrid systems based on multiple renewable power sources and bioethanol

DIEGO FEROLDI; DAVID ZUMOFFEN

Energy Science and Technology

Studium Press LLC

Año: 2015; p. 26 - 52

This chapter presents an optimal sizing method for a hybrid energy system based on multiple renewable power sources and bioethanol. The hybrid system consists on multiple power sources to supply the load, such as wind-solar sources and a PEM fuel cell system fed with hydrogen produced by a bioethanol reformer. The necessary heating for the bioethanol reforming reaction is provided by the renewable sources to improve the efficiency of the reformer reaction. The whole system works supervised by an energy management strategy. The hybrid system is also equipped with a battery bank for backup and power balance. The optimal sizing methodology is integrated with the energy management strategy. This methodology is based on genetic algorithms, using historical climate and load data, and minimizes an objective function, taking into account the loss of power supply probability, costs and bioethanol consumption. Several simulation results are given to show the achieved performance.