Adequacy assessment of electric power systems incorporating wind and solar energy

Renewable energy applications in electric power systems have undergone rapid development and increased use due to global environmental concerns associated with conventional energy sources. Photovoltaics and wind energy sources are considered to be very promising alternatives for power generation because of their tremendous environmental, social and economic benefits, together with public support. Electrical power generation from wind and solar energy behaves quite differently from that of conventional sources. The fundamentally different operating characteristics of these facilities therefore affect power system reliability in a different manner than those of conventional systems. The research work presented in this thesis is focused on the development of appropriate models and techniques for wind energy conversion and photovoltaic conversion systems to assess the adequacy of composite power systems containing wind or solar energy. This research shows that a five-state wind energy conversion system or photovoltaic conversion system model can be used to provide a reasonable assessment in practical power system adequacy studies using an analytical method or a state sampling simulation approach. The reliability benefits of adding single or multiple wind/solar sites in a composite generation and transmission system are examined in this research. The models, methodologies, results and discussion presented in this thesis provide valuable information for system planners assessing the adequacy of composite electric power systems incorporating wind or solar energy conversion systems