Generation reliability for small isolated power systems entirely based on renewable sources

Abstract

This paper investigates generation reliability for power systems entirely based on renewable energy sources. Stochastic models for solar and wind power are used together with simpler models of small scale hydro power and storage. The load model is deterministic and based on industrial activities with a maximum load of 28 kW. 38 different cases with different supply configurations are simulated using Monte-Carlo simulation. It can be concluded that a system with only wind power has a higher availability than a system with only solar power. However solar power is more regular which allows for a more efficient use of storage. To obtain a high availability large storage capability is needed or a combination of sources.