Wind-Diesel & H2

Activities in CanadaMarch 10, 2011

Carl Brothers, P.Eng.,

Frontier Power Systems

Ramea Wind-Diesel Project

Ramea, NL

Ramea ProjectWidely Reported Previously

Original Objective

• Select a major Canadian utility with isolated communities and influence among utilities

• Demonstrate that • Wind technology is reliable

• Wind and diesel systems are compatible

• Economics can work under appropriate circumstances

• Set the stage for subsequent economic projects

Results• Project has been in operation since 2004

• NL Hydro has installed additional wind capacity and a wind hydrogen project in same community in 2009

• Appear to be believers!!

Feeder #1

Diesel Plant

System Master PLC (Wind Plant)

Diesel Plant PLC

WIND PLANT

G1

G2

Wind Control Load

WTC #1

WTC #2

WTC #3

WTC #4

WTC #5

WTC #6

Internet Connection WDICS

SCADA

G3

Wind Plant Master PLC

1 km wireless

connection

Feeder #2

Wind-Diesel Integrated Control System (WDICS) - Ramea

WDICS

3 x 925 kW

Load 250 kW – 1,200 kW

Windmatic WM15S

• Reliable mid-80s Danish turbine

• 15 meter rotor

• Three blade, stall regulated

• Upwind design, Forced Yaw

• 25 meter free-standing tower

• Re-manufactured by Frontier

• Why re-man turbines? $$$$

• Total Project Costs

– $1,300,000 < $3,500/kW(Target price assumed to be marketable)

Ramea Operation

Ramea Operation

Operational Results

• 400 kW wind on 700 kW load has visible impact on diesels

• Voltage quality issues during connection • Improved with recent changes

• Frequency stability affected but within limits• +/-0.01Hz. Variation no wind

• +/-0.1 Hz. Variation with 400 kW wind

• Fuel savings have been less than expected• Reliability issues on less than fully re-conditioned turbines

• Modest Loads / Big Diesels

• Limited land base increased array losses

• Banks still getting paid!

Wind – Hydrogen Projects in Canada

• Ramea Wind Hydrogen Project– To existing wind and diesel plants NL Hydro added:

– 3 – NW100 turbines

– Electrolyzer and storage

– Hydrogen Power Gensets

– Medium penetration operation (diesel always on)

• PEI Wind Hydrogen Village– High Penetration Operation

– More aggressive and more challenging

– Ultimately where we want to be

– Stabilizing the grid is the challenge

Are tanks farms likely to be a practical and affordable part of the Arctic landscape in 30 years?

If not, what?

Looking Ahead

Short Term Energy StorageAttenuates Short Term Fluctuations in Wind Power

Long Term Energy Storage

Long Term Energy Storage

~ Cape Dorset ~ (Community Energy Requirements)

l/yr Eff’y MWh%

– Electricity 1,614,169 32% 5,630 23

– Heating 1,904,374 80% 16,606 67

– Motive Diesel 283,695 30% 928 4

– Gasoline 463,168 20% 1,0104

– Jet A1 249,375 20% 544 2

Total 4,514,780 24,717

0500

10001500200025003000

1 504 1007 15102013 25163019 3522 40254528 50315534 60376540 7043 75468049 8552

Hour

kW 0 Turbines

2,400 kW

0

500

1000

1500

1 501 10011501 20012501 30013501 40014501 50015501 60016501 70017501 80018501

Hour

kW 0 Turbines

600 kW

Cape Dorset ~ Estimated Wind Generation vs Load ~

5,900

MWh

1,375 MWh

5,500 MWh

Energy Storage needed for significant oil displacement

• Short Term (Seconds - hours)

– (Seconds – minutes) Flywheels, batteries

– (Hours ) Batteries

• Long term (Days)

– Batteries• Costs and life uncertain

• Potential resource constraints for large deployment

– Hydrogen?• Cost challenges

• Round trip efficiency challenges

PEI Wind Hydrogen Project Equipment Configuration

Master PAC

Frontier Power SystemsPEI Hydrogen Village 090120

WIND PLANT

Dump Load

Internet SCADA

H2Village

Utility

EWS 65 kW

GEV1010 kW

GEV6060 kW

WV10 25 kW

LW1880 kW

WM15S65 kW

WEICan Wind Plant Control

H2 Storage

Electrolyser300 kW

Compressor

Stuart 66Nm3/

hr

Load Regulator

Compressor

Sto

rage

and

F

uelin

g S

tatio

n

20 Bar

200 Bar

DC

Hydrogen Genset

Power Supply

HPCHydrogen

plant controller

Synchronous Condenser

Conversion to Hydrogen - Electrolyzers• Bi-polar units

– More efficient– Lower ramp rates

• Uni-polar units– Slightly lower efficiency– Much more robust– Supposedly extremely responsive (needed for frequency control)– Higher ramp rates should provide frequency control

• Not quite the case

• New bi-polarelectrolyzer design has potential to increase ramp rates – not yet commercial– Unlikely to improve conversion rates

Storage

• Medium pressure storage will very expensive for isolated communities

• Are there low pressure alternatives?

Reconversion to electricity

• Fuel cells have recent pleasant surprises– Improved life; improved efficiency, reduced costs

– Still some way to go on all three fronts

• Automotive based engines – May offer an economic alternative

– Diesel plant operators will be sceptical of spark ignition

• Bi-fuel technology may offer a bridging technology until fuel cells ready– Conventional diesel with standard performance

– Significant displacement at intermediate loads

~ Bi-fuel Diesel Displacement ~

Diesel & Bi-Fuel Consumption

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Power (kW)

Co

ns

um

pti

on

(L

/h)

H2 Diesel

% Diesel Fuel Displacement

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Power (kW)

% D

isp

lac

eme

nt

Current Thoughts on H2

• Many technical and logistical issues to resolve– R&D and demo projects are essential to do this

• Technology pathway is not yet defined – and not clear there is one

• Current round trip efficiency won’t find economic application or excitement in our careers

• Still 1 MWh H2 ~= 1 MWh Diesel Fuel

Electrolyzer

Water Treatment

Power Supply

Gas Holder

Genset

Gas Control Panel

Storage

Compressors

Coolers

Primary Components Hydrogen Village

Current Status

• Field Testing frustrated by wind capacity

– 250 kW of small wind capacity available this week

• Field tests to start mid-March – End April

• Application for pilot project in collaboration with Nunavut under review

• Hopeful project can move forward to advance wind-diesel advanced wind-storage technology

~ Cape Dorset – Conceptual Layout ~