• Energy Research

To avert climate change, there has been a rise in the usage of green energy sources that are also beneficial to the environment. To generate sustainable energy in a financially and technically efficient manner, our research attempts to close the gaps. The potential of green sources like photovoltaic (PV) and biomass for a rural community southwest of Sohag Al Gadida City, Sohag, Egypt, is examined in this research considering its techno-economic (TE) and eco-friendly feasibility. The HOMER Pro v3.14 package is used as a scaling and optimization instrument, to calculate the price of the PV/biomass setup and the size and characteristics of its parts. This is to estimate the corresponding electrical production and reduce the total annual cost for the customer. The suggested system structure is validated through the presentation of simulation outcomes and evaluations utilizing MATLAB/SIMULINK R2022a. In addition, a TE-environmental investigation of the optimized PV/biomass structure is performed. The optimum structure is carefully chosen from the best four configurations using the demand predilection by analogy to the perfect technique based on the generation cost, operation cost, energy production, and renewable fraction. The results also indicate that using hybrid PV/biomass is an attractive choice with the initial capital cost (ICC: USD 8.144), net present cost (NPC: USD 11,026), a low cost of energy (LCOE: 0.184 USD/kWh), and the high renewable fraction (RF: 99.9%) of the system. The annual CO2 emission performance of a PV/biomass system is much better than that of the grid alone and PV/diesel. This method might be applied in rural areas in other developing countries.

To avert climate change, there has been a rise in the usage of green energy sources that are also beneficial to the environment. To generate sustainable energy in a financially and technically efficient manner, our research attempts to close the gaps. The potential of green sources like photovoltaic (PV) and biomass for a rural community southwest of Sohag Al Gadida City, Sohag, Egypt, is examined in this research considering its techno-economic (TE) and eco-friendly feasibility. The HOMER Pro v3.14 package is used as a scaling and optimization instrument, to calculate the price of the PV/biomass setup and the size and characteristics of its parts. This is to estimate the corresponding electrical production and reduce the total annual cost for the customer. The suggested system structure is validated through the presentation of simulation outcomes and evaluations utilizing MATLAB/SIMULINK R2022a. In addition, a TE-environmental investigation of the optimized PV/biomass structure is performed. The optimum structure is carefully chosen from the best four configurations using the demand predilection by analogy to the perfect technique based on the generation cost, operation cost, energy production, and renewable fraction. The results also indicate that using hybrid PV/biomass is an attractive choice with the initial capital cost (ICC: USD 8.144), net present cost (NPC: USD 11,026), a low cost of energy (LCOE: 0.184 USD/kWh), and the high renewable fraction (RF: 99.9%) of the system. The annual CO2 emission performance of a PV/biomass system is much better than that of the grid alone and PV/diesel. This method might be applied in rural areas in other developing countries.

Nuclear energy (NE) is seen as a reliable choice for ensuring the security of the world’s energy supply, and it has only lately begun to be advocated as a strategy for reducing climate change in order to meet low-carbon energy transition goals. To achieve flexible operation across a wide operating range when it participates in peak regulation in the power systems, the pressurised water reactor (PWR) NE systems must overcome the nonlinearity problem induced by the substantial variation. In light of this viewpoint, the objective of this work is to evaluate the reactor core (main component) of the NE system via different recent optimization techniques. The PWR, which is the most common form, is the reactor under investigation. For controlling the movement of control rods that correspond with reactivity for power regulation the PWR, PID controller is employed. This study presents a dynamic model of the PWR, which includes the reactor core, the upper and lower plenums, and the piping that connects the reactor core to the steam alternator is analyzed and investigated. The PWR dynamic model is controlled by a PID controller optimized by the gold rush optimizer (GRO) built on the integration of the time-weighted square error performance indicator. Additionally, to exhibit the efficacy of the presented GRO, the dragonfly approach, Arithmetic algorithm, and planet optimization algorithm are used to adjust the PID controller parameters. Furthermore, a comparison among the optimized PID gains with the applied algorithms shows great accuracy, efficacy, and effectiveness of the proposed GRO. MATLAB\ Simulink program is used to model and simulate the system components and the applied algorithms. The simulation findings demonstrate that the suggested optimized PID control strategy has superior efficiency and resilience in terms of less overshoot and settling time.

Nuclear energy (NE) is seen as a reliable choice for ensuring the security of the world’s energy supply, and it has only lately begun to be advocated as a strategy for reducing climate change in order to meet low-carbon energy transition goals. To achieve flexible operation across a wide operating range when it participates in peak regulation in the power systems, the pressurised water reactor (PWR) NE systems must overcome the nonlinearity problem induced by the substantial variation. In light of this viewpoint, the objective of this work is to evaluate the reactor core (main component) of the NE system via different recent optimization techniques. The PWR, which is the most common form, is the reactor under investigation. For controlling the movement of control rods that correspond with reactivity for power regulation the PWR, PID controller is employed. This study presents a dynamic model of the PWR, which includes the reactor core, the upper and lower plenums, and the piping that connects the reactor core to the steam alternator is analyzed and investigated. The PWR dynamic model is controlled by a PID controller optimized by the gold rush optimizer (GRO) built on the integration of the time-weighted square error performance indicator. Additionally, to exhibit the efficacy of the presented GRO, the dragonfly approach, Arithmetic algorithm, and planet optimization algorithm are used to adjust the PID controller parameters. Furthermore, a comparison among the optimized PID gains with the applied algorithms shows great accuracy, efficacy, and effectiveness of the proposed GRO. MATLAB\ Simulink program is used to model and simulate the system components and the applied algorithms. The simulation findings demonstrate that the suggested optimized PID control strategy has superior efficiency and resilience in terms of less overshoot and settling time.

In a deregulated power system, managing congestion is crucial for effective operation and control. The goal of congestion management is to alleviate transmission line congestion while adhering to system constraints at minimal cost. This research proposes a hybrid Harris Hawk Optimization–Sine Cosine Algorithm (hHHO-SCA) for an efficient generation rescheduling approach to achieve the lowest possible congestion cost. The hybridization has been performed by introducing the features of SCA in the HHO to boost the exploration and exploitation steps of HHO, providing an efficient global solution and effectively optimizing rescheduled power output. The effectiveness of this methodology is evaluated using IEEE 30 and IEEE 118-bus test systems, taking into account system parameters. The potency of the proposed method is analyzed by comparing the results of the hHHO-SCA with those from other recent optimization techniques. The findings show that the hHHO-SCA outperforms other methods by avoiding local optima and demonstrating promising convergence characteristics.

In a deregulated power system, managing congestion is crucial for effective operation and control. The goal of congestion management is to alleviate transmission line congestion while adhering to system constraints at minimal cost. This research proposes a hybrid Harris Hawk Optimization–Sine Cosine Algorithm (hHHO-SCA) for an efficient generation rescheduling approach to achieve the lowest possible congestion cost. The hybridization has been performed by introducing the features of SCA in the HHO to boost the exploration and exploitation steps of HHO, providing an efficient global solution and effectively optimizing rescheduled power output. The effectiveness of this methodology is evaluated using IEEE 30 and IEEE 118-bus test systems, taking into account system parameters. The potency of the proposed method is analyzed by comparing the results of the hHHO-SCA with those from other recent optimization techniques. The findings show that the hHHO-SCA outperforms other methods by avoiding local optima and demonstrating promising convergence characteristics.

In recent modern power systems, the number of renewable energy systems (RESs) and nonlinear loads have become more prevalent. When these systems are connected to the electricity grid, they may face new difficulties and issues such as harmonics and non-standard voltage. The proposed study suggests the application of a whale optimization algorithm (WOA) based on a fractional-order proportional-integral controller (FOPIC) for unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) and STATCOM tools. These operate best with the help of their improved control system, to increase the system’s reliability and fast dynamic response, and to decrease the total harmonic distortion (THD) for enhancing the power quality (PQ). In this article, three different configurations are studied and assessed, namely: (C1) WOA-based FOPIC for UPQC, (C2) WOA-based FOPIC for STATCOM, and (C3) system without FACTS, i.e., base case, to mitigate the mentioned drawbacks. C3 is also considered as a base case to highlight the main benefits of C1 and C2 in improving the PQ by reducing the %THD of the voltage and current system and improving the systems’ voltage waveforms. With C2, voltage fluctuation is decreased by 98%, but it nearly disappears in C1 during normal conditions. Additionally, during the fault period, voltage distortion is reduced by 95% and 100% with C2 and C1, respectively. Furthermore, when comparing C1 to C2 and C3 under regular conditions, the percentage reduction in THD is remarkable. In addition, C1 eliminates the need for voltage sag, and harmonic and current harmonic detectors, and it helps to streamline the control approach and boost control precision. The modeling and simulation of the prepared system are performed by MATLAB/Simulink. Finally, it can be concluded that the acquired results are very interesting and helpful in the recovery to the steady state of wind systems and nonlinear loads, thereby increasing their grid connection capabilities.

In recent modern power systems, the number of renewable energy systems (RESs) and nonlinear loads have become more prevalent. When these systems are connected to the electricity grid, they may face new difficulties and issues such as harmonics and non-standard voltage. The proposed study suggests the application of a whale optimization algorithm (WOA) based on a fractional-order proportional-integral controller (FOPIC) for unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) and STATCOM tools. These operate best with the help of their improved control system, to increase the system’s reliability and fast dynamic response, and to decrease the total harmonic distortion (THD) for enhancing the power quality (PQ). In this article, three different configurations are studied and assessed, namely: (C1) WOA-based FOPIC for UPQC, (C2) WOA-based FOPIC for STATCOM, and (C3) system without FACTS, i.e., base case, to mitigate the mentioned drawbacks. C3 is also considered as a base case to highlight the main benefits of C1 and C2 in improving the PQ by reducing the %THD of the voltage and current system and improving the systems’ voltage waveforms. With C2, voltage fluctuation is decreased by 98%, but it nearly disappears in C1 during normal conditions. Additionally, during the fault period, voltage distortion is reduced by 95% and 100% with C2 and C1, respectively. Furthermore, when comparing C1 to C2 and C3 under regular conditions, the percentage reduction in THD is remarkable. In addition, C1 eliminates the need for voltage sag, and harmonic and current harmonic detectors, and it helps to streamline the control approach and boost control precision. The modeling and simulation of the prepared system are performed by MATLAB/Simulink. Finally, it can be concluded that the acquired results are very interesting and helpful in the recovery to the steady state of wind systems and nonlinear loads, thereby increasing their grid connection capabilities.