Hybrid Renewable Energy System

Hybrid Renewable Energy System

To provide electricity in remote areas where grid connection is not feasible renewable energy is the best option. These can be by individual source or combination of resources like wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass, ocean wave, geothermal and tides, etc. However, the ideal combination could be the use of wind and solar to generate uninterrupted power supply.

The dependency on alternate energy sources are also relevant in the context of depletion of fossil fuels, Ozone depletion, Carbon foot print, global warming, etc. incidentally renewable energy sources are most environmental friendly as well. Besides reduced recurring cost, the one, another advantage of alternate energy, is that it avoids the huge cost and accidents thereof of power transmission.
Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) can be the combination of two or more sources

• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) /Wind/diesel generator
• PV/wind/fuel cell
• Wind/battery
• Biomass/wind/diesel generator
• PV/Wind/Biomass/fuel cell

Solar energy is converting Sunlight to electricity through the photovoltaic process; it is also possible to utilize the heat of the Sun to cook as well as generate power. The power generation or cooking using the Sun during the night would not be possible. The wind power comes as a rescue as most of the time the wind would be available. Another the advantage of wind power is that it can be connected directly to stationary units like a pump, chaff cutters, etc.

The hybrid power thus generated can be connected to the grid or stored in batteries.
Another application of this system is in hybrid vehicles which merge electric power and engine (diesel/Gas/ Petrol). The vehicle will run on electric power drawing power from the battery. When the battery is drained, the engine takes over.  When running on the engine, the battery will be charged.  When the brake is applied that power can be used to charge the battery.

The renewable energy sources are undergoing innovation all over the globe. The poor efficiency, especially in solar power generation, is a major area to be addressed more seriously. Provisions to withstand natural furies like storm or flood shall have to be given stress in designing alternate energy power generation. 

Biomass Energy Still A Dependable Source

Biomass energy still a dependable source of energy.

China was it at it again. They made an economic biogas plant out of bamboo. Even the dome was bamboo joined with wooden resin. And those plants are providing cooking gas, light and even hot water to the community.

The whole concept biogas/biomass can be summarized as ‘Waste to Power.' Biogas is renewable, Carbon neutral and abundant. Besides, the technology is employing the rural areas. In India, 32% of energy requirement is met by biomass. In the US this figure is low at 5%.

Bagasse based cogeneration in sugar mills is picking up as a feasible solution for the power starved country. Jatropha a flowering plant can be another source of energy. Oil from the seed of the Jatropha plant can be processed to produce a high-quality biofuel or biodiesel. This fuel can be used in diesel cars. The cake can be used as biomass feedstock to power electricity plants, used as well as fertiliser.

Biomass materials are quite varied- bagasse, rice husk, straw, cotton stalk, coconut shells, soya husk, deoiled cakes, coffee waste, jute wastes, groundnut shells, saw dust, etc. Biomass Gasifier is ideal for heating applications in industries like Rice mills, sugar, textile and dying, tiles, steel and other industries. The power from Biomass gasifiers can be connected to the grid. Government- subsidies are available for biogas gasifiers and biogas plants.

A combustible gas mainly Methane is produced when Organic waste, sewage or manure is fermented in the Oxygen free atmosphere. Biogas is typically a mixture of Methane (CH4, 40~70%), Carbon Dioxide (CO2, 25 ~60 %)), traces of Hydrogen (H2) and Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S).

Biogas does not produce smoke is a provider of sustainable agriculture. By using biogas, the dependency of precious fossil fuel is reduced substantially. Biomass has stored energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Biogas is eco-friendly too.

Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy such as methane gas or transportation fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Wood burning stoves are very popular, but the efficiency of conversion is very low. At the same time, biomass gasifiers can produce very high efficiency.

Unique ideas of green power generation

We get many good ideas daily. So do I, and when I try to remember them on a later date I keep forgetting the details. We forget our best ideas and no one will ever benefit from them.

So when the ideas below came to my mind this time I decided to 1st make a very rough sketch of my idea and so that I can later on develop on it in detail when needed, with comments and suggestions from experts all over the globe now that I have posted it on Blogger.com, and then with detail drawings and specifications it can be put to good use for man-kind freely by whomsoever it may concern, so keep looking my for updates on this blog.

and don't forget to comment.

here come the sketches :-

1. River Weir Power Generator (We will refer to this as RWPG-Power Plant in our discussions later on)

A weir of suitable height is made in rivers along its flow direction with proper calculation to allow as well as store water this wear will have flood gates and also turbine generators to generate electricity.

The weirs will be built as per the reduced levels of the bottom of river bed as it slopes down towards the sea. The idea is not to make a dam to store water , it is just to regulate water by training the river to spin the turbine generators at required speed range under all conditions of volume of flow of water.

The weir will also keep water level at required level and save the water from free flow into oceans. These rives full of weirs along their course maybe miles apart depending on how the level of the river bed slopes itself toward the sea.

As the flow of river is being slowed down the water will remain for a longer period at a higher flood level and recharge the ground water in a better way leading to greener fields along the river, improving agricultural quality of soil.

Agriculture is main occupation of majority Indians, so from these weirs canals / pipelines can be made / laid to divert water to longer distances from where people can harness , excess water during monsoon and floods.

here's the sketch (oops a bit smudgy)

here comes the second one -

2. Railway Steel Bridge Under-Deck Power Generator (we will call it RUB-Power Plant in short)

Now that the infrastructure is already there, a sturdy and strong steel bridge built by the railways on the river for passenger and goods train to cross at high speeds. Why not place a electric turbine generator below this bridge.

her comes the sketch - again i am sorry its very roughly made but it will give you a very good idea of the arrangement. (Note ....i am a construction engineer and i dont know what time ill be back from site to make the study deeper and sketches better!!!!)

Here we have to put a sensor so that the turbine can be kept at required level for it to function properly.

For this the turbine shall be lowered by a sturdy telescopic column so that it can be lowered or raised automatically by the energy generated by flowing river itself by mechanical arrangement.

I have a feeling again that since we require flow of water, for the flowing water to remain in river all through the year, weirs will still be required along the river route in steps, if the river is of type that dries out. These weirs must have gates to control the flow. Such type of river training is must nowadays. Weir will be so useful also to divert the water into meandering canals all around its catchment area.

3. Power Flotilla (we will call it PF- Hydro Power Plant in short)

This will not only cost very low but will also not require any calculation to be done for floods, foundations, structures etc.

see my sketch below:- i have tried to make it a bit better than the ones above.

In all the above cases and in this case also we will need a good sensitive turbine generator. Now thats because we need to generate enough power to sustain the operation and maintenance of such plants. Distribution may not be a problem as power grid in our country is fabulously arranged so far.

There's more to come depends on when the lightning will strike in my mind (lol) !!!!

Mini and Micro Hydel Projects

Ask any engineer in the power generating sector for the minimum requirement for a hydel power station; you are bound to hear a plethora of technical jargons- pent house, governors, turbines, generators, kinetic energy and what not. But in Peru, electricity is generated with just 3-metre head and plastic pipes as a pent house. The generators are improvised bicycle dynamos. That is sufficient for a couple of families around, and distribution is with Aluminium conductors. And there is not much of a power shortage in Peru.

In fact, mini or micro hydel power stations are ideal for countries like India where there are abundant water falls and non-electrified habitations around. It is not necessarily the hydel power be generating electricity, but they could be connected to water mills, water pumps for irrigation directly. When connects to direct applications, the efficiency is higher and distribution losses nil.

Micro hydel projects and water n=mills can provide a solution for remote areas where the reach of the grid system is not feasible. During colonial time, a lot many micro hydel plants were installed in tea and coffee estates. They have carved out tree trunks as penstock pipes. The trend continues even now in different plantations.

The thumb rule pricing of the mini hydel project is Rs 2 lakhs/KW. ($3000 / KW). 

In India, the MNES (Ministry of Non-Conventional energy sources) gives subsidy for Watermills and Micro Hydel Projects as under:

Mechanical output only: Rs. 35,000/- per Watermill.

Electrical output (up to 5 kW) : Rs. 1,10,000/- per Watermill.

Both mechanical & electrical output (up to 5 kW) : Rs. 1,10,000/- per Watermill The water mills costs approx. Two lakhs/KW.

MNES estimate the price of putting up Micro Hydel Projects up to 100 kW Capacity is around Rs.40,000/- per KW.

It is time we think about this free energy as fossil fuels are depleting faster than we ever imagined. The advantage of hydel power is that the water can still be used for irrigation purposes downstream. We can fight the climatic change and the Carbon foot print even at a grass root level.