Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
(OP)
Dear all,
I work at the only power generating company on the island of Aruba. The company uses combination of steam turbines and
Reciprocating Engines (RECIP). A small percent of the daily production is also generated by wind turbines and solar systems. After production, the electric energy is further distributed to the electric grid which is managed by a separate distribution company. Aruba is located in the warm waters of the southern Caribbean Sea, and is known for a dry, sunny and windy weather during most of the year. Therefore, renewable energy such as wind and solar is an attractive source of energy to the island. The introduction of more Renewable Energy (RE) poses a challenge on the existing generation assets as RE is not dispatchable. As the company adds more renewable energy sources to the grid, energy storage is especially critical for managing the output of intermittent renewable resources such as solar and wind power.
We currently have several large battery banks at several locations distributed in the power plant. The main purpose of these batteries is to supply critical backup power to controls and emergency DC oil pumps in case of a black out. During my 9 years working at this company I experienced only 4 blackouts which durations was between 4 to 6 hours max. Since these battery units are only functional during short periods, we where looking into the possibility to use a combination of Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services. Which perhaps can aid in managing the output of intermittent renewable resources as described above.
My questions are:
Regards,
Jairo
I work at the only power generating company on the island of Aruba. The company uses combination of steam turbines and
Reciprocating Engines (RECIP). A small percent of the daily production is also generated by wind turbines and solar systems. After production, the electric energy is further distributed to the electric grid which is managed by a separate distribution company. Aruba is located in the warm waters of the southern Caribbean Sea, and is known for a dry, sunny and windy weather during most of the year. Therefore, renewable energy such as wind and solar is an attractive source of energy to the island. The introduction of more Renewable Energy (RE) poses a challenge on the existing generation assets as RE is not dispatchable. As the company adds more renewable energy sources to the grid, energy storage is especially critical for managing the output of intermittent renewable resources such as solar and wind power.
We currently have several large battery banks at several locations distributed in the power plant. The main purpose of these batteries is to supply critical backup power to controls and emergency DC oil pumps in case of a black out. During my 9 years working at this company I experienced only 4 blackouts which durations was between 4 to 6 hours max. Since these battery units are only functional during short periods, we where looking into the possibility to use a combination of Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services. Which perhaps can aid in managing the output of intermittent renewable resources as described above.
My questions are:
- Can this be a potential project?
- What can be the risks involved?
- Are there companies that offer such system/ studies?
- Any other ideas/ suggestions?
Regards,
Jairo






RE: Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
Please define and explain what in your specific case you mean by:
1) Power Backup
2) Demand Response
3) Ancillary Services
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
modifications were due to the addition of a battery / inverter system so the wind-farm could store
the energy and later provide frequency support. I think it was 20MW. I do know that ABB supplied
the system. You may want to discuss with ABB your needs.
RE: Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
My former employer, Scottish & Southern Energy in the UK, has installed large amounts of storage on the Shetland Isles in Scotland, which has facilitated the connection of a large amount of wind generation, and reduced the reliance on the central diesel power station. Definitely potential for a project and an exciting and fast moving area, which has the potential to bring major changes to the way we have traditionally designed power networks.
Regards
Marmite
RE: Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
If you're looking at integration of energy storage systems to allow for catering the non-dispatchable renewable energy, then its technically feasible, whether or not its economically feasible is another thing entirely. This is an example of flywheel based storage to allow for greater renewable energy usage against diesel reduction.
All of which really depends on what you want to achieve, and how big the plant is.
RE: Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
RE: Power Backup, Demand Response and/or Ancillary Services
Is a "Peaking Plant" usually considered a source of spinning reserve or is this spinning reserve usually made up of unused capacity in "base load plants"?