PhD Thesis - Energy Systems Research Unit - University of Strathclyde

3 Approaches to Renewable Energy System Design
There are various models that exist to aid the design of sustainable energy
supply systems, and, due to the complexity of the tasks required of these
systems, they have been produced as computer simulation packages. Several
programs have been produced which deal with various aspects of sustainable
energy system design and optimisation, but there are none available that deal
with all of the issues discussed in Chapter 2. Systems currently available
include those based on geographical information systems, the use of demand
and supply matching for the temporal analysis of energy supplied from
intermittent sources, and the evaluation of energy from biomass and waste
sources. This chapter will look at the strengths of these programs, and will
highlight areas that require further development in order to enable analysis of
the type of multifaceted system required to provide for all the energy needs of
any size or type of area in a sustainable manner.
3.1 Geographical Information Systems
A geographical information system (GIS) is a computerised database that allows
the integration of different information sources to provide a comprehensive map
of an area. Different layers may be built up over this map representing, for
example, the three-dimensional relief or wind potential of the area. Muselli et al
[1] present an interesting study of the French island of Corsica, which uses a
GIS to build up the topology, existing electrical network, land availability, solar
potential and other meteorological data, in order to determine the optimal energy
supply system for this island. This system considers various supply scenarios,
including the use of photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery storage, auxiliary
engines and electricity grid extension. Hourly insolation figures are synthesised,
and four load profiles are chosen to simulate the hourly consumption of the
users under different circumstances. Various system designs are tried by
considering the supply potential at each pixel of the satellite map, matching
supply with demand, applying average plant efficiencies, and employing storage
devices or auxiliary engines depending on the supply scenario being considered.
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