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Abstract:

In spite of a widespread electrical grid, the use of stand-alone electric power generators or gensets in Europe is quite common on remote sites and as temporary power supply. Due to the bad efficiency of gensets at low load conditions, a substantial amount of primary energy can be saved by combining the genset with the battery pack of an electric car. This paper describes the results of a research project that was funded by the Flemish government to raise the efficiency of stand-alone power systems. For the project a pure plant oil genset of 27 kVA was turned into a hybrid power system by adding a battery pack of the size of a typical electric van. This battery pack allows the combustion engine to be turned off at very low loads. The fuel saving potential of such hybrid systems is proved with field measurements. A thought-out control strategy for the hybrid system is applied to minimize fuel consumption as well as the impact on the batteries lifetime. The combination of a genset and electric vehicles was considered in 2 particular cases: The use of a single neighborhood electric vehicle (i.c. a Goupil G3) as an energy buffer at a construction site and the charging of a neighborhood electric vehicle fleet during the night by a genset. In both cases primary energy savings can be proved.