Hybrid System for Water Pumping Assignment Help
Introduction
The progress and growth of any nation depends on its socio-economic development and to achieve that it needs to have reliable electric supply systems. The rise in the cost of conventional fossil fuels and the increasing negative impact of using non-renewable energy in the environment is posing several challenges. The increasing demand for electricity and global warming has influenced many nations to opt for environment-friendly type of energy solutions to preserve the natural resources for future generations (Moriarty & Honnery, 2012). There are various renewable energies, which are acting as good source of electricity, which includes hydro power, and other sources such as wind and photovoltaic energy. Renewable energy is gaining significance as it is a critical part of reducing global carbon emissions (Boyle, 2012). Fossil fuels, gas and other non-renewable energy alternatives together pose a threat to the environment and the society, which is the end user of this form of energy (Thorogood & Thorogood, 2012). Since non-renewable energy sources are experiencing depletion in the reserves, there is a need for the nations to generate more and more energy from renewable sources (Sangster, 2014). Generation of energy using renewable sources such as solar and wind had remained cost ineffective till recently (Thorogood & Thorogood, 2012).
However, the costs of renewable energy production are continually decreasing making it affordable even for private use (Khattab et al., 2016). Wind energy and Solar Energy are some of the renewable energies, which are used to produce electricity, pump water and hot water heating (Sangster, 2014). Single source renewable energy solutions work effectively only when the resource is available to be harnessed such as for solar energy the area should receive adequate direct sunlight and for wind energy there should be adequate wind for turning the turbines, which then generate energy (Khattab et al., 2016). To maximize the potential of available resource and to provide consistent and stable energy generation there is a need of mixed technologies, which can be achieved by fully integrating hybrid energy solution.
Purpose of the Research
Oman like the other Middle Eastern nations depends on oil and gas for producing electricity. But these resources are not expected to last forever (Shere, 2013). The gas production is not very stable and the oil is expected to run in the next few decades, which has led the government to develop Omani Vision of 2020 to reduce its dependency on oil and diversify the economy and source of electricity whose demand is increasing with growing population (Price, 2017). The volatile prices of gas and oil is also influencing government and institutions to promote researches and approaches to find energy resources, which are sustainable, have less environmental impact, are stable and cost less (Ramu & Rambabu, 2014). Oman has hence been focusing on utilizing the renewable sources for electricity generation. The nation has increased potential for producing renewable energy as the level of solar energy density in Oman is among the highest across the globe and there is increased scope for developing solar energy resources through the region (Price, 2017). Wind energy potential is also found to be high in Oman mainly in the coastal areas in Southern part of Oman, which has enabled the nation to take advantage of the opportunities and use these sources for electricity generation (Price, 2017). These renewable energy sources though are abundant in Oman they are available intermittently, which reduces reliability of power output and can restrict the usage of the output power (Hatmi & Tan, 2013). The intermittent nature of these sources can lead to component over-sizing and increased complexity in the operations and increase lifecycle cost (Hatmi & Tan, 2013). To address such challenges hybrid systems are used wherein the solar and wind sources are used in combination to improve load factors and save maintenance and replacement costs as their components complement each other (Khattab et al., 2016). Using renewable energy for water pumping is considered to be clean and effective method as such locations have easy availability of sun radiation and wind (Khattab et al., 2016). Water pumping system require consistent supply of electricity to provide the required output and hence depending on any one of the sources cannot be reliable. Thus, hybrid wind/solar source for getting the required supply electricity will enable the pump to work effectively and the dependency on one so cure will reduce. This research aims at designing hybrid wind/solar energy system for pumping water for use in small agricultural farm.
Research Objectives
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To understand the importance of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to aid agricultural farming
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To study feasibility of solar/wind hybrid renewable energy for water pumping
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To design solar/wind hybrid system for pumping water for use in a small agricultural farm
Research Limitations
This research aims at designing hybrid wind/solar energy providing system specifically for small agricultural farm and hence the efficiency of the system might be good as the system is small. This cannot be generalized to bigger systems as there are various factors, which might influence the efficiency of the system.
Literature Review
Energy is the basis for modern industrial economy and is an essential component for all the human activities. It is used for various purposes such as lighting, production, transportation, space/water heating, mineral extraction and many other activities (Energy Information Administration, 2016). There are many factors, which influence energy supply and the main factors are availability, accessibility and price.
Above figure shows the different sources from where the energy is produced as of 2015 and it can be seen that the dependency on the non-renewable sources such as natural gas, oil and coal constitute a greater part of energy generation. Non-renewable energy sources drain the fossil reserves, which is deposited since centuries and it has led to increased negative impact on environment (Boyle, 2012). Coal is one of the widely used fossil fuel across the globe as it is found in abundant but when it is burnt to generate energy it produces increased carbon dioxide, which has led to global warming (Energy Information Administration, 2016). The reserves are depleting at a faster pace due to increasing global demand for energy. The other non-renewable energy, which is widely used, mainly in the Middle Eastern countries such as Oman is oil, which has resulted in massive air pollution (International Energy Agency, 2016). Non-renewable energy sources have contributed to a great extent in the growth of industries and the excess use of non-renewable energy has led to several environmental issues such as land pollution, air pollution, which has affected the eco-system to a great extent (Shere, 2013). To address these challenges the use of renewable energies is advancing rapidly to close the energy access gap and to reduce the impact of the energy sources on the environment and humans. Renewable energy supply is continuously increasing across the globe. Many nations have been investing significantly from past few years and the rapid advancement in the technology has enabled nations to produce renewable energy at a cost-effective price (Thorogood & Thorogood, 2012).
Types of Renewable Energy
The main types of renewable energy widely used across the globe are biomass, solar power and wind power.
Biomass
Biomass is one of the renewable energy, which refers to use of organic materials and converting them into different forms of energy, which can be used (Shere, 2013). Biofuel is produced through biological processes, which include agriculture and anaerobic digestion (Sangster, 2014). Some other fuels are produced by fermenting carbohydrates derived from sugar or starch crops.
Solar power
Solar power is the most popular and fast growing source of renewable energy. The solar power system involves solar cells, which rely on photovoltaic effect absorb photons and convert them to electrons (Sangster, 2014). The solar cells present on the large solar panels absorb light from the sun and convert it to electricity (Shere, 2013). Solar power can be generated in areas where abundant sunlight it available. Solar power is widely used in grid-connected processes as an approach to feed low-carbon energy into grid (Shere, 2013). According to International Energy Agency, by 2050 solar power will constitute over 25% of the market and will become world’s largest source of electricity (Moriarty & Honnery, 2012).
Wind Power
Wind power is being used for various purposes from thousands of years, which include powering windmills or generating pressure for water pumps (Shere, 2013). Wind power is generated based on operation of wind turbines, which turn when wind blows (Sangster, 2014). The turbines are connected to a rotor, which connected to main shaft that spins a generator and electricity is produced. According to the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace International, by 2050 the wind power produced worldwide would be as much as 25 to 30% (Moriarty & Honnery, 2012).
Oman’s Potential for Renewable Energy and Sources
Sultanate of Oman’s peak power demand is expected to increase substantially by 10% annually from 4455MW in 2013 to 9133MW in 2020 due to growing population, increasing disposable income, continuing government investment in infrastructure projects and hence the electricity and water demand is expected to rise significantly (Price, 2017). One of the main sources for electricity generation in Oman was oil and gas and with increasing impact on the oil industry due to price fluctuation and difficulty in accessing the oil field (Moriarty & Honnery, 2012). Oman has to invest significantly to exploit the oil reserves and they are expected to run dry in next 40 years (Price, 2017). Also, the country’s growing population and driving demand for residencies and increased living standard has been placing increased pressure on the national power grid and leading to frequent blackouts (Price, 2017).
In regional and rural areas blackouts occur more regularly and force them to rely on diesel generators, which account for around 2.5 % of fuel used for generation of electricity (Shere, 2013). There is a need for the country to meet the expected demand more effectively (Price, 2017). This led the nation to consider the researchers to identify the most effective source of electricity generation and the study by Oman’s Authority for Electricity Regulation identified that solar and wind power offer greatest potential as renewable sources for generation of electricity in Oman (Thorogood & Thorogood, 2012). Oman has some of the best solar potential in the world as it is best positioned in the location where high levels of solar irradiation can be captured. The country received on average of 18 to 20 percent more solar Kilowatt/hour per square meter as compared to other parts of Middle East. Oman’s ration of sky clearness is very high and is at 342 days per year along with high irradiation and hence the country receives highest solar energy densities in the world (Price, 2017).
Oman’s wind energy potential is also very strong as good wind resource exists in southern and eastern areas of the nation, which recorded good wind speeds as compared to the wind speeds of European sits having commercial wind power projects operating effectively (Price, 2017). The country has average wind speed slightly over 5 m/s and estimated hours of full load power per year is 2,463 hours, which makes wind power economically viable form (Thorogood & Thorogood, 2012). As per the studies carried out by researchers, the four main locations where abundant wind power is available include Masirah, Thumrait, Sur and Qayoon Hyriti. Oman already has constructed wind power plants at Thumrait and Qayoon Hyriti of the capacity of 375MW each and the electricity production is 2.3 TWh a year both sites included. The only disadvantage of wind power in Oman is that wind is more seasonal (Hatmi & Tan, 2013). Studies have shown that wind speed is higher in summer months of June to August and is lower during the months of October and November (Price, 2017). The wind power speeds are higher when the Oman’s power supply demand is peak so wind power electricity generation is found to be feasible for the country though it might not be feasible to be used throughout the year (Hatmi & Tan, 2013). The intermittent availability of wind and solar can lead to discontinuity in power generation, which might not enable effective generation of electricity to the desired level and hence use of these renewable sources independently for different processes is not feasible as the return on investment would be less (Hatmi & Tan, 2013). The lack of continuity in the supply due to the intermittent nature will not allow the effective usage of produced electricity and hence hybrid wind/solar system has been studied across Oman to ensure that the utilisation of each of the renewable sources is done effectively.
Hybrid Wind and Solar Systems
Hybrid system refers to a system developed by combining more than one element. In generating energy more than one source such as wind, solar, biomass and other can be used (Yahyaoui, 2016). To generate hybrid energy there are different modules such as wind-solar hybrid, solar-diesel hybrid, wind-hydro hybrid system and wind-diesel hybrid system (Arjun et al., 2013). Wind-solar hybrid system is one of the widely used hybrid system across the globe. Hybrid design is found to be very useful and sustainable approach for generating energy due to intermittent availability of solar power and wind energy in many areas (Shirsath et al., 2016). Hybrid systems are mostly stand-alone systems and operate off-grid and not connected to electricity distribution system. Most of the hybrid systems include batteries where the generated electricity is stored and/or is connected to generator powered by conventional fuels and is used when batteries run low. The engine generator is used to provide power and recharge batteries.
The hybrid wind/solar system combines two individual system as solar system and wind system. Solar system will generate electricity from the sun and convert it into electrical energy, which is collected and stored as DC energy (Yahyaoui, 2016). Wind system includes generating wind energy using the wind turbines having large blades, which are connected to rotor of generator, which leads to production of electrical energy depending on the movement of blades due to wind flow (Zhou et al., 2010). Wind turbine is a mechanical system and the amount of energy generated depends on the speed of the wind (Shirsath et al., 2016). The hybrid system includes batteries, which is essential for storing the electrical energy produced by both the systems. Electrical batteries are used as it is low cost, and provides maximum efficient storage for storing electrical energy. Inverter is an electronic system, which is used to convert direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). The stored electrical energy in the batteries is direct current and cannot be utilized for different types of loads (Yahyaoui, 2016). To provide AC supply to the load, inverter is used, which is then connected to the load and the hybrid power can thus, be consumed continuously without any interruption as the source of energy is from wind as well as solar (Zhou et al., 2010). The various applications of wind/solar hybrid system include street lighting, traffic signals, pump irrigation systems, various monitoring systems and for many domestic purposes.
