• Energy Research

This paper considers the structure of the regional energy supply of Crimea and presents the characteristics of the main groups of regional electricity producers, including combined heat and power plants, mobile gas turbine power plants, renewable energy sources, and backup power sources. It is proposed, depending on the purpose of calculations in the context of the transportation problem under consideration, to use average actual rates for a given period with energy suppliers as tariffs (the calculation purpose is to reduce the electricity production and transportation cost), as well as conditional qualitative assessments, such as “fines” (the purpose is to improve the environmental friendliness and reliability of the system as a whole). The influence of the produced solar plant power on the operating modes of the Crimean energy system is assessed. The solar power production optimization technique that affects the reliability and quality of power supply is developed. Various energy supply scenarios for Crimea are generated, including peak and average power consumption modes with various options for solar activity, season, including and excluding energy sources under construction, and off-season repair of power sources. Based on the calculation data, the reliability of the regional energy system is estimated for various power supply scenarios, as well as the need to use an energy bridge for a power exchange with the mainland.

Ensuring the quality of energy supply to remote regions is relevant for grid companies and the state. One of the solutions to this problem is the use of renewable energy sources to generate electrical energy. Given this, the article considers an integrated approach to designing combined autonomous energy systems of an individual residential building based on renewable energy sources with the complete replacement of traditional energy carriers. In addition to the combined power system, the proposed solution implies using an insulated facade of the building, which will reduce heat loss by 1.5 times, compared with an un-insulated building. to increase the reliability of the energy supply, the project provides for a wind power plant, a backup diesel generator station and a battery pack with an inverter. Estimated calculations have shown that the probability of failure of the power system of this configuration is 3%. The conducted ecological and economic justification of the use of an autonomous combined power system allows us to conclude that 2.1 tons of conventional fuel per year is saved and the payback of the energy supply system for a period of up to 8 years.

The construction and operation of large solar power plants (SPPs) and the dependence of their production on light and other meteorological factors leads to a strong dependence of the operation modes of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol power system on meteorological factors. Today, given that the share of solar power plants is about 30% of the total installed capacity, it is necessary to solve the problems that have a great impact on the power system operating modes. With large output capacity of the solar power plant, the operator has to give commands to turn off the generating equipment of thermal power plants. In power systems with a large share of solar generation, it is necessary to solve this problem by improving the generated power predicting methods, as it will reduce the dependence of operating modes on weather factors and increase the reliability of the power system. The paper discusses the use of hybrid predicting methods that imply taking into account the possibility of the weather scenarios simulation, advanced cloud-based image processing technology, and close-to-real-time cloud motion surveillance cameras. There was an experimental software created that selects coefficients of set configuration time series. In combination with the conservative methods, it makes predicting the SPP Perovo output more accurate. Taken together, the chosen methods of predicting solar power generation capacity in the power system of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol ensure not only stability of the power system as a whole, but also the maximum efficiency of power plants, allow to accelerate the integration of solar power plants into the power system, and have positive effects on the environment.

This paper is concerned with the issue of the efficiency of sea wave energy conversion. It is shown that the efficiency increases significantly if a low-damped mechanical oscillator, which is adapted to a wave power spectrum, is used as a primary converter. Two major types of oscillators are considered. The pendulum-type converter is found to be the most promising. A new schematic of a pendulum-type converter is suggested and briefly described. The converter consists of two oscillators adjusted to work in resonance mode. The first one includes a ballast-controlled floating platform pitching on sea waves. The second oscillator is a long sector-shaped pendulum located on the floating platform. The use of sea wave energy converters is promising in regard to the widespread use of renewable sources and elimination of the environmental impact of fossil fuel consumption in coastal regions. Various systems have been developed and projects implemented in this field.

Power supply to consumers, especially in remote areas, is often subject to emergency power outages. This leads to numerous problems such as the breakdown of household appliances and electronics, the inability to provide vital functions in homes and special institutions, and production failure. Also, grid companies sometimes cannot efficiently provide energy to private consumers due to insufficient capacity of the power grid. This journal discusses the use of power plants on alternative energy sources and systems of accumulation of electric energy connected to renewable energy sources. Such systems can be used in parallel with the existing electric power grid, as well as directly by autonomous consumers. This journal also describes the possibility of providing electric power to individual consumers using solar panels in combination with a system of accumulator batteries. The process of charge–discharge of capacitive batteries in the photovoltaic module–battery system is studied in order to increase the efficiency of low-power autonomous power plants. Studies show an increase in the efficiency of the system designed for the individual consumer by 30%, as well as the possibility of uninterrupted operation. The proposed model of the combined photovoltaic and storage system avoids the problems associated with emergency power outages. More importantly, for various Russian Federation regions that are neither close to the generating facilities nor have reliable uninterrupted electricity supply, the presented system can significantly extend both the time of efficient use of energy resources and the service life of the equipment.

This paper is concerned with the problem of water shortage in northern Crimea. It shows that the Crimean Peninsula lacks access to fresh water from natural sources. For decades, water supply was provided mostly from the Dnieper River via the North Crimean Canal. An emergency situation arose in water supply in Crimea after the canal was shut down. It has been shown that seawater desalination from renewables is the only reliable way to tackle the problem. The work reviews perspective desalination methods, suggests a new schematic of a desalination complex based on Wind Energy Marine Units, and determines key parameters of the complex.