Optimal Wind Capacity Integration Considering the Possibilistic Uncertainty of Wind Resources

Due to the energy crisis, environmental contamination and other problems related with conventional generations, it is essential to consider the integration of renewable energy, especially wind power. This paper, therefore, outlines the design and study of an interval optimization model to determine optimal wind capacity in an existing power grid. Interval wind capacity factor is proposed to analyze and propagate the uncertainty of wind resources. This model aims at minimizing the overall cost including the variable cost of coal-fired generation, start-up/shutdown cost of generation units, capital investment of wind farm, reserve cost, penalty cost of wind curtailment and fixed operational cost of wind power. The effectiveness of the proposed model is validated by its application in a real-life power grid. Compared with previous research, this method can aid power system planners to make decisions about wind capacity considering the possibilistic uncertainty of wind resource.