Computational Methods for Renewable Energies: A Multi-Scale Perspective
Creators: name: Alfaro, Diego Renan Aguilar
Publisher: name: Purdue University Graduate School
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 400803
subject: Electrical energy generation (incl. renewables, excl. photovoltaics)
classificationCode: 400805
subject: Electrical energy transmission, networks and systems
classificationCode: 400804
subject: Electrical energy storage
classificationCode: 400808
subject: Photovoltaic power systems
classificationCode: 401703
subject: Energy generation, conversion and storage (excl. chemical and electrical)
classificationCode: 460501
subject: Data engineering and data science
classificationCode: 460203
subject: Evolutionary computation
classificationCode: 460207
subject: Modelling and simulation
classificationCode: 460209
subject: Planning and decision making
classificationCode: 460210
subject: Satisfiability and optimisation
classificationCode: 461105
subject: Reinforcement learning
classificationCode: 461104
subject: Neural networks

description: The urgent global shift towards decarbonization necessitates the development of robust frameworks to navigate the complex technological, financial, and regulatory challenges emerging in the clean energy transition. Furthermore, the increased adoption of renewable energy sources (RES) is correlated to the exponential growth in weather data research over the last few years. This circular relationship, where big data drives renewable growth, which feeds back the data pipeline, serves as the primary focus of this study: the development of computational tools across diverse spatial and temporal scales for the optimal design and operation of renewable energy-based systems. Two scales are considered, differentiated by their primary objectives and techniques used. In the first one, the integration of probabilistic forecasts into the operations of RES microgrids (MGs) is studied in detail. It is revealed that longer scheduling horizons can reduce dispatch costs but at the expense of forecast accuracy due to increased prediction accuracy decay (PAD). To address this, a novel method that determines how to split the time horizon into timeblocks to minimize dispatch costs and maximize forecast accuracy is proposed. This forms the basis of an optimal rolling horizon strategy (ORoHS) which schedules distributed energy resources over varying prediction/execution horizons. Results offer Pareto-optimal fronts, showing the trade-offs between cost and accuracy at varying confidence levels. Solar power proved more cost-effective than wind power due to lower variability, despite wind’s higher energy output. The ORoHS strategy outperformed common scheduling methods. In the case study, it achieved a cost of \$4.68 compared to \$9.89 (greedy policy) and \$9.37 (two-hour RoHS). The second study proposes the Caribbean Energy Corridor (CEC) project, a novel, ambitious initiative that aims to achieve total grid connectivity between the Caribbean islands. The analysis makes use of thorough data procedures and optimization methods for the resource assessment and design tasks needed to build such an infrastructure. Renewable energy potentials are quantified under different temporal and spatial coverages to maximize usage. Prioritizing offshore wind development, the CEC’s could significantly surpass anticipated growth in energy demand, with an estimated installed capacity of 34 GW of clean energy upon completion. The corridor is modeled as an HVDC grid with 32 nodes and 31 links. Underwater transmission is optimized with a Submarine-Cable-Dynamic-Programming (SCDP) algorithm that determines the best routes across the bathymetry of the region. It is found that the levelized cost of electricity remains on the low end at \$0.11/kWh, despite high initial capital investments. Projected savings reach \$ 100 billion when compared with ”business-as-usual” scenarios and the current social cost of carbon. Furthermore, this infrastructure has the potential to create around 50,000 jobs in construction, policy, and research within the coming decades, while simultaneously establishing a robust and sustainable energy-water nexus in the region. Finally, the broader implications of these works are explored, highlighting their potential to address global challenges such as energy accessibility, prosperity in conflict zones, and sharing these discoveries with the upcoming generations.