Run-of-the-River Hydro-PV Battery Hybrid System as an Energy Supplier for Local Loads

Dariusz Borkowski, Dariusz Cholewa and Anna Korzeń
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Dariusz Borkowski: Department of Electrical Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Krakow, Poland
Dariusz Cholewa: Department of Electrical Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Krakow, Poland
Anna Korzeń: Department of Energy, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-17

Abstract: Hybrid hydro energy systems are usually analysed with pumped hydro storage systems, which can facilitate energy accumulation from other sources. Despite the lack of water storage, run-of-the-river hydropower plants are also attractive for hybrid systems owing to their low investment cost, short construction time, and small environmental impact. In this study, a hybrid system that contains run-of-the-river small hydro power plants (SHPs), PV systems, and batteries to serve local loads is examined. Low-power and low-head schemes that use variable-speed operation are considered. The novelty of this study is the proposal of a dedicated steady-state model of the run-of-the-river hydropower plant that is suitable for energy production analysis under different hydrological conditions. The presented calculations based on a real SHP of 150 kW capacity have shown that a simplified method can result in a 43% overestimation of the produced energy. Moreover, a one-year analysis of a hybrid system operation using real river flow data showed that the flow averaging period has a significant influence on the energy balance results. The system energy deficiency and surplus can be underestimated by approximately 25% by increasing the averaging time from day to month.

Keywords: small hydropower plant; hybrid power systems; renewable energy sources; energy management; variable speed operation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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