Spatial and temporal analysis of electric wind generation intermittency and dynamics

A spatial and temporal analysis of wind power generation characteristics was conducted in order to determine the implications of intermittent wind generation dynamics on the profile of the electric loads that must be balanced by dispatchable electrical generators on the electric grid. A parametric analysis was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of the typical magnitudes of wind power fluctuations on different timescales, power variation range, typical daily and seasonal wind profiles to wind farm size and regional distribution. A methodology to evaluate wind dynamics based on power spectral density analyses have been developed. Results indicate that increasing the size of a local wind farm significantly reduced the magnitude of wind power fluctuations on timescales faster than 12 h, with the largest reductions occurring at the fastest timescales. Additional reductions in power fluctuations can be achieved with the implementation of local and regional distribution of wind turbines in disperse high wind areas. In these cases, it was discovered that the timescale band within which the largest reductions in power fluctuations occurred was dependent on regional geographic features, and did not necessarily correspond to the fastest timescales. In addition, it was also discovered that the aggregation of wind power from different regions could produce a more uniform frequency distribution of power fluctuation reductions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.