Energy balance analysis of wind-based pumped hydro storage systems in remote island electrical networks

The introduction of pumped hydro storage (PHS) systems in isolated electrical grids, such as those found in island regions, appears to be a promising solution that is able to face both the high electricity production cost and the continuously increasing power demand encountered in these areas In this context, the current work presents a methodology for the sizing of PHS systems that exploit the excess wind energy amounts produced by local wind farms, otherwise rejected due to imposed electrical grid limitations. The methodology is accordingly applied to the Greek island of Lesbos Initially, a calculation of the wind power penetration ability to the local grid is carried out and the corresponding curtailments of existing and future wind farms are determined. An integrated computational algorithm is then presented which simulates the operation of the system during an entire year and gives in detail the hourly operational status as well as the various energy losses of the system main components. Based on the application results obtained, the ability of the wind energy to remarkably contribute to the electrification of the remote islands becomes evident. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.