Optimizing an off-grid electrical system in Brochet, Manitoba, Canada

Abstract

Permission has been granted to the Library of the University of Manitoba to lend or sell copies of this thesis, to the National Library of Canada to microfilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to University Microfilms Inc. to publish an abstract of this thesis/practicum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research, and may only be reproduced and copied as permitted by copyright laws or with express written authorization from the copyright owner.i AbstractBrochet is a remote, off-grid community located in Northern Manitoba, Canada.The existing diesel generating system is characterized by high economic and environmental costs. As the existing diesel generators are nearing the end of their operational lifespan, this study uses the HOMER model to determine an optimum electricity system design at Brochet that has high electrical reliability, least cost, and low emissions. Three potential power generation options were considered and evaluated, namely: 1) only diesel, 2) only wind, 3) a mix of both. The wind-diesel hybrid system performed best for all the evaluation criteria. While maintaining high reliability, this hybrid system design resulted in 19 % reduction in electricity cost, and 30 % reduction of CO 2 when compared to the existing electricity system at Brochet. Thus, this study concludes that the wind-diesel hybrid system is the optimum electricity system design for Brochet and proposes this system replace the existing system.ii Acknowledgement

Optimal Sizing and Performance Evaluation of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System for an Off-Grid Power System in Northern Canada

“…Among them, Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) has come under scrutiny as an effective tool. HOMER as a simulation platform appears repeatedly in academic literature confirming its competence in handling large set of variables associated with design, optimization and performance evaluation of HRES [4,14,24,25,28,33,36,39,40].…”

“…Moreover, diesel storage facilities deployed in these settlements are susceptible to fuel tank leaks which can cause significant environmental damage by contaminating soil and groundwater. The highest impact to the environment is caused through the burning of large amount of diesel which contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions [4,18].…”

“…Many off-grid communities have attempted to incorporate renewable energy sources like small hydro, solar, wind and biomass to their existing generation mix [2, 4, 14, 21, 24-26, 28, 33, 36, 39, 40]. Several successfully commissioned utility scale hybrid power systems within Canada are reported in [2,4,32].…”

“…A brief review of optimization studies directly targeting Canadian off-grid diesel-based power systems is given here to support the methodology deployed in this study and to provide a source of comparison. In [4] authors have determined the optimum configuration for two hypothetical system designs subjecting an off-grid power system in Brochet, Manitoba. The optimum configuration has been determined by assessing their performance in three main criteria; "high electrical reliability, least cost and low environmental impact".…”

Explaining the Diffusion of Renewable Electricity Technologies in Canadian Remote Indigenous Communities through the Technological Innovation System Approach

“…By 2012, multiple theoretical and empirical contributions on remote microgrids technology had been developed globally [130]. In Canada, several new optimization studies on the feasibility of RETs in indigenous remote communities added to knowledge development (+F2) [18,131,132]. Furthermore, in 2012, the NWT government announced its 2012 Solar Energy Strategy and organized the 2012 Energy Charrette to engage communities in the electricity planning process (+F4) [133,134].…”