Project start: January 2012
Consortium:
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb (FER)
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb (FSB)
National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ)
KONČAR – Electrical Engineering Institute Inc. (KONČAR – Institute)
Abstract
The ever increasing electrical energy demands, limited fossil fuels, risks related with the nuclear energy, climate change, the national desire for energy independence and diversification of energy sources, thrust in the first plan distributed production of electric power from renewable sources as a key element in achieving sustainable development.
The need for the local community to achieve sustainable economic and ecological development has been long recognized within the European Union. In that regard, the EU supports research of smart grids, and their building blocks – microgrids. The main problem in the usage of renewable electrical energy sources (REES) is their intermittency, which leads to problems in regulation of the power system. This problem exists both on a local production/storage/consumption level and on the power system level.
Furthermore, the problem becomes more pronounced with the increasing contribution of the REES in the total energy production. A natural solution is to derive a coordinated and dynamic planning strategy for production/storage/consumption of electric power. By connecting REES, energy storage facilities, and consumers in a microenergy subsystem – the so-called microgrid – one can control resulting energy flows while taking into account forecast of the energy source availability. Solution of such problems – via optimization – that considers techno-economical criteria will significantly improve the integration of the renewable energy sources on both the local and global level.
This program includes 4 research teams with necessary, and complementary, competences and research experiences:
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing Zagreb (FER),
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture Zagreb (FSB),
- Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (DHMZ)
- Končar – Electrical Engineering Institute (KIET).
Over ninety percent of the electricity generated in developed countries is consumed in homes, buildings, and industry. Greater attention must therefore be paid to end-use sectors if the promised benefits of smart grids – reduction of electricity consumption/losses, integration of renewable generation and storage, reduced use of fossil fuels, and improved grid reliability.
Thanks to the complementary competences from respective research fields, the partners involved with this programme will contribute to such reliable, and optimal, operation of renewable energy sources connected in a microgrid. In this way the program ensures also the progress towards establishment of a center of excellence in the area of decentralized and distribute renewable electricity generation, making a crucial step towards the smart grids and smart cities.