Hybrid energy storage systems and control strategies for stand-alone renewable energy power systems

The energy storage system (ESS) in a conventional stand-alone renewable energy power system (REPS) usually has a short lifespan mainly due to irregular output of renewable energy sources. In certain systems, the ESS is oversized to reduce the stress level and to meet the intermittent peak power demand. A hybrid energy storage system (HESS) is a better solution in terms of durability, practicality and cost-effectiveness for the overall system implementation. The structure and the common issues of stand-alone REPS with ESS are discussed in this paper. This paper presents different structures of stand-alone REPS with HESS such as passive, semi-active, and active HESS. As there are a variety of energy storage technologies available in the market, decision matrixes are introduced in this paper to evaluate the technical and economic characteristics of the energy storage technologies based on the requirements of stand-alone REPS. A detailed review of the state-of-the-art control strategies such as classical control strategies and intelligent control strategies for REPS with HESS are highlighted. The future trends for REPS with HESS combination and control strategies are also discussed.