Wind Power Generation Profiles and Capacity in a Hydro-Based System

Iceland has considerable resources in wind energy, with the relatively high winds in this island climate. However, wind generation is, as always, intermittent and needs backup to match demand profiles.This paper studies wind energy profiles and wind integration in the hydropower and geothermal dominated power system of Iceland. The purpose is to map out potential wind parks and their integration using a hydro scheduling operations model. First, the properties of the measured wind speed series are studied, using standard conversion characteristics, and then potential wind parks are postulated and integrated into the electricity generation.In many respects the Icelandic system is a perfect match for wind generation. It has large hydro energy storage in reservoirs which can be used as backup generation, when the wind is not blowing. The interaction of wind and hydro calls for studying the load serving capability of the wind generation. This leads to calculating a capacity metric for the wind parks. Another issue of interest is the need for expanded hydro capacity and increased size of reservoirs. This may also depend on the wind park size and penetration of the wind resources.These issues are of particular interest considering the current mix of energy intensive industry (EII) with local load and possible future export and direct sales in a larger electricity spot market.