Tidbits
Links to them
For your enjoyment
"San Miguel edges closer to delivering 1 GW battery fleet in Philippines
San Miguel, which is now behind on its original plan to deliver a 1 GW/1 GWh fleet of battery energy storage systems (BESS) by the end of 2022, continues to roll out big batteries across 32 sites in the Philippines, in order to integrate up to 5 GW of renewables into the island nation’s grid."
"https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/04/05/san-miguel-edges-closer-to-delivering-1-gw-battery-fleet-in-philippines/#:~:text=San%20Miguel%2C%20which%20is%20now,into%20the%20island%20nation%27s%20grid."
What are batteries for the Philippines? Does it make sense?
The answer to these questions may be done by relating them to the Kalayaan Pumped Storage Power Plant (KPSPP).
Somewhere here (Technical Schematics Page), the efficiency of a power plant burning fuel is dictated by load level as a non-negotiable fact. The higher the load level, the more efficient is the usage of fuel to drive the shaft. On the other hand, if the load level is low, the efficiency is low.
What are the principles of the KPSPP? It becomes a load to the system to raise the efficiency of the system. How does it do this?
At that location in Laguna, there are two lakes. Caliraya Lake is 984 feet above sea level. Laguna de Bay is 6.6 feet above sea level. The difference in the elevation of these two lakes is 977 feet.
Engineers will say that if you pump water from Laguna the Bay to Caliraya Lake, you are giving that water potential energy. If you allow that water to come down, the potential energy could be given to a turbine to do work.
In the case of KPSPP, water is pumped to Caliraya Lake using power from the Luzon Grid so that power plants operate at high load levels. And what else? At high loads, they run at higher efficiencies, depending upon the load level.
That water pumped to Caliraya Lake will be allowed to drive the pump that brought it there to run in reverse as a generator. This is done when the grid needs power to meet the load.
What did the system do then?
KPSPP was run as a pump to store water to a higher lake, when the system load is low to prevent fuel-burning power plants from operating at a lower efficiency.
When the load is high to go beyond the capacity of these fuel-burning power plants, that pump is run in reverse, as a generator, to use the water that was stored at a higher elevation. This will prevent the system from cutting off power from load sectors, a factor that affects quality of life and business.
Why are we referring only to fuel-burning power plants? What about hydro-electric power plants?
Water collected at the "dams" are from nature and it is priceless
for drinking water,
for irrigation,
for load regulation or load follow
When one liter is used, that one liter cannot be put back up at the dam. Nature will put one liter there at the time it decides, and not within the control of any human being.
Water is free, but the cost of electricity and the life of people and their food will be affected. Do not throw away drinking water or water for irrigation, simply to meet the load requirements.
In contrast, if one liter of oil is used to run a power plant, one liter could be replaced from a fuel supplier, at a cost.
Have we digressed, talking about power plants?
No!
At this point, think about the battery storage plants. They perform in almost the same way as KPSPP. The "load dispatching system" will determine, how much energy is stored, and how much energy is reused to meet the requirements to meet the load demand.
Did anybody hear the word that Ireland cut the top of a hill to build an artificial lake so as to have a Pumped Storage Hydro-Electric Power Plant? This activity functions in almost the same way as the KPSPP. One nice thing is the the Philippines was gifted with these two lakes to reduce the losses of the system. This gives better values for the "least-cost" of electricity supplied by the grid.
One more thing . . .
Much of what is done in power generation, dispatching, planning, etc., are in the field of Economics. Gut feelings related to the future are also considered as inputs.
Nothing is correct now unless proven so by the future!
Decisions are made now, so that the future could make it correct!
Dr Sherdon Uy and Mang Cally with the DYNAMOMETER that they made.
Ian Carroll's presence at a Historic Pennsylvania Dutch village evokes SMILES as people strolling around enjoy watching him perform.
I had permission from him for taking this video of his very thrilling performance.
Watch his singing, his violin, and his two feet giving the drum beat - as if a "one man band."
Enjoy!!!