Combining wind speed and energy demand prediction in the determination of energy storage capacity requirements of offshore wind farms

Abstract

The intermittency of the wind resource may not necessarily match the consumers’ demand for electrical energy. Hence, the use of energy storage facilities will increase the efficacy and usefulness of wind energy, thus making wind farms a more viable investment. This paper develops a methodology to couple Measure-Correlate-Predict (MCP) techniques and electric load forecasting methods with the scope of optimising the energy storage facility sizing and costs. A review of current MCP techniques and electrical load prediction methods is carried out, followed by a review of energy storage technologies. The final objective is to formulate a methodology which brings together all of the above into one tool which may be used to optimise the integration of energy storage with wind farms depending on the availability of long-term wind resources, energy demand trends and the chosen storage technology.