The Future of Renewable Energy

1. The Future of Renewable Energy Dr Simon Watson Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology

2. Introduction • About CREST • UK government support for Renewables • The resource and technologies • Renewables and the Grid • Summary

3. CREST

4. CREST at Holywell Park For more details see: http://www.crestuk.org

5. Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology • Founded in 1993 following a donation from Tony Marmont • Established to: • Carry out research in renewable energy • Provide teaching and training in renewable energy

6. MSc in Renewable Energy Systems Technology • Established in 1994 • Provides technical background to the different renewable energy technologies • Bespoke modules – academic but with an industry focus • Full-time (1 year) or part-time distance learning (2-4 years) • FT ~ 40 students, DL ~ 240 students.

7. CREST Research • Wind and Water • Networks and Systems • Applied Photovoltaic Systems • Si PV • Thin Film PV

8. The UK Government and Renewables

9. The Climate Change Levy • Levy on all non-domestic users of energy • £4.30/MWh on electricity consumption • Electricity from renewables and good quality combined heat and power exempt

10. Renewables Obligation • Initially 10% of electricity from renewables by 2010 • Now 15% of electricity from renewables by 2015 • Sliding scale from 2002 to 2015 • Obligation on electricity suppliers • Buy-out rate of £30/MWh • Buy-out proceeds recycled to compliant suppliers

11. The Technology

12. World Wind Power Resource UK

13. Largest resource in upland areas… But lowland areas ‘respectable’… Wind Power – The UK Resource The windiest country in Europe!

14. Wind Power Technology • Onshore mature, but revised planning guidelines required to increase project success rate • Offshore, a large growth area • First round – 1400MW • Second round – 6000MW • Third round - ?? • Industry estimates of 3000-4000MW by 2010 are feasible Courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S

15. Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines Analysing power signals to assess bearing wear

16. Onshore Wind Power Capacity in Europe (end of 2007) Denmark 3,125 MW UK 2,389 MW Denmark 3,117 MW Germany 22,247 MW France 2,454 MW Portugal 2,150MW Spain 15,145MW Italy 2,726 MW

17. Offshore Wind Power (MW) (end of 2007)

18. Wind Power Worldwide

19. Building Mounted Wind Turbines • Lots of hype • Performance low in most urban areas • Care in siting required

20. Solar Power – The Resource UK: ~100kWh/m2/yr Middle East ~300kWh/m2/yr

21. Solar Resource - UK Best resource in south-west

22. Solar Photovoltaic • Identified as key research area • Costs projected to fall • Seen as economic in long-term

23. Photovoltaic Module Outdoor Performance

24. Crystalline Si Photovoltaic Cell Research Doped Si wafer production Al back contact sputtering Anti-reflection coating and passivation Laser grooving tracks

25. Thin Film Photovoltaic Research CdTe c-Si on glass CIGS Dye solar cells

26. Hydro • Large scale hydro largely exploited in UK (Scotland) • Small-scale run of river RO eligible • Typical size: 10kWs to few MWs • Resource limited

27. Hydro Resource around Europe

28. Wave and Tidal • Seen as being further off in terms of commercial viability • UK seen as in forefront of research in these areas • Government supporting demonstration projects through grants • Large scale tidal barrages generally viewed as being environmentally detrimental

29. Wave Power Resource Large resource off UK/Ireland Atlantic Coasts ~ 70kW/m crest

30. Wave Power Technology - Pelamis 750 Tested off Orkney

31. Wave Power – Oscillating Water Column Devices • Testing of novel OWC designs • Spiral chamber to reduce size and improve efficiency

32. Tidal Resource (Average Tidal Power) Pentland Firth Bristol Channel

33. Seaflow Marine Current Turbine • 300kW prototype 3km from Lynmouth (Devon) • 1.2MW device in Strangford Lough, N. Ireland • Multi-MW farms planned

34. Biomass • Good potential, potentially a continuous power generation source • Conventional power stations are allowed to co-fire • Often used for Combined Heat and Power (CHP) • Willow/miscanthus typical fuel crops • Direct combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, etc • Issues surrounded transportation and biodiversity

35. Renewables and the Grid • Embedded generation/transmission level • Managing variability: voltage and frequency • Managing large scale generation in conjunction with renewables • National Grid Transco believes 20% renewable electricity no problem even if mainly from intermittent RE such as wind • Sstudy by ECI, Oxford, believes a mix of RE with sufficient geographical spread could provide 50%

36. Impact of Micro-Generation on the Grid Many Loads; Many Sources - NETWORK ISSUES – e.g. Control; Voltage rise; Fault levels; Protection equipment; Stability; Frequency control; Black-start; Reverse power flows; Metering (buy / sell) … QUESTIONS … “How will the LV network respond to … … embedded generation? … demand side management?” => Build a model Example Embedded Generation / DSM Key: DSM Load Shifting Grid PV μ μCHP Unit Small wind gen. μ μ μ Map Source: OS MasterMap Crown Copyright Cables: Illustrative E.g. possible reverse power flows? E.g. Risk of voltage rise outside limits

37. Hydrogen Storage • Hydrogen seen as a way of managing variability of renewables • Integration with hydrogen vehicles • Loughborough University commissioning hydrogen vehicle refuelling station • Economics not yet favourable

38. Summary • Wind power leading RE technology • UK at forefront of marine RE technologies • PV costs high but technology in development • Biomass could have high potential • Grid can cope with 20% renewables with negligible cost penalty if the will is there… • …But this is NOT an absolute limit!