Hybrid Power Plant at Kutubdia

The project was conceived in 2006 and the site was visited the author on 18/11/2006. A presentation was in the Board on 29/11/2006. The Board gave go-ahead signal for this project. Accordingly, an international tender was floated by BPDB. A contract was signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board and M/S. Pan Asia Power Services Ltd. on 22/03/2007 for the 1000KW Capacity Wind Battery Hybrid Power Project at Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazar. The project implementation works started on 03/04/2007. During project implementation phase, on 15/11/2007, the Super Cyclone SIDR crossed the coastal areas of Bangladesh. There was 10 to 15 feet higher tidal surge above the dam in front of the project. All equipment and materials were submerged by those high waters. Some 3-Ton Steel Towers were taken away by those strong waves deep inside the sea. All completely ready civil construction materials including 1800 sacks of cement were fully damaged. After the SIDR, we started the implementation works again. Installation works were completed on 31/12/2007. The project testing time was from 01/01/2008 to 29/03/2008. The project was officially commissioned on 30/03/2008 by a very high level committee of BPDB.

The Battery Hybrid Power Plant (WBHPP) was officially started on 30/03/2008. The project was running well. Till 02/05/2008, total 27MWh. was generated by the WBHPP in 33 days. On 05/05/2008, the project was partially damaged by the super cyclone Nargis with the highest danger signal no. 10. To import and install the damaged equipment and materials from China and India, it took from May 05, 2008, to September 17, 2008. The project was re-started on 18 August 2008. After the devastations by the super cyclone NARGIS, we invented some innovative techniques to keep the wind turbines safe during the severe cyclones. We applied those innovative techniques later against the tropical cyclone Bijli and the tropical cyclone Aila. We were very much successful and our wind turbines were unharmed during these severe cyclones.

Contents of WBHPP at Kutubdia

The WBHPP at Kutubdia contains the following equipment and materials:

Foreign/Imported Materials:

· 50 Nos. 20KW capacity wind turbines

· 50 Nos. Converters-cum-controllers

· 150 Nos. of Blades

· 8 Nos. Boosters-cum-chargers

· 8 Nos. 150KW Capacity Inverters

· 1 No. of Synchronization and Paralleling Panel

Local Materials: To keep the total project costs as low as possible, we have tried our best to maximize the utilization of the local equipment and materials. In the WBHPP at Kutubdia, we have used the following local materials.

· 1000 Nos. of 12VDC, 200AH Batteries

· 1 No. Central Control Panel Board

· 2 Nos. 600KVA, 0.4KV/11KV Transformers

· 1 No. of 11KV Grid Sub-Station

· 10 km of 11 KV Transmission Line

Installation, Testing and Commissioning:

The installation and testing of all materials, equipment and machineries of the whole project have been completed by the local people. No foreign expert/engineer was required to install, run and test the equipment and machineries of the whole project. The installation and testing works of all materials, equipment and machineries of the whole project have been supervised by the author himself. Our engineers and technicians have got very valuable exposures and experiences in installation, operation and maintenance of this completely new technology project.

Electricity Generation Achievements:

The WBHPP has been running well for more than one and half years. We are supplying 0.60 to 0.80 MWH electrical energy every day at 11,000Volts. Till to date, we have supplied more than 240 MWh. electrical energy to the consumers of the Kutubdia Upazilla Sadar. This is to be mentioned here that this is the only Renewable Energy Project in Bangladesh supplying green power at 11KV voltage levels successfully and regularly.

Financial Savings and Achievements:

Kutubdia is an isolated island. Normally, electricity is generated by diesel generators in this remote island. It very expensive, difficult, highly risky and time consuming to transport diesel to this isolated island. We are replacing directly diesel with the energy generated by the Wind Battery Hybrid Power Project. When we supply electricity at 11KV levels, the diesel generators are stopped completely. Till to date, we have supplied more than 240 MWh. electrical energy to the consumers of the Kutubdia Upazilla Sadar. One kWh electricity from diesel is costing more than Tk.40.00 here in Kutubdia. So, we have already saved diesel of Tk.96,00,000.00. BPDB has earned Tk.12,00,000.00 by selling power to the consumers. So, total monetary benefits from the WBHPP is Tk.1,08,00,000.00. Moreover, we have saved Green House Gas Emissions (Carbon-Di-Oxide). We have attained these financial benefits within the running period of one year of this project.

Unique Features of this Project:

First in the country:

· This is the FIRST Grid Quality Renewable Energy Project in the country.

· This is the FIRST 11,000Volt running Renewable Energy Project in the country.

· This is the LARGEST running Renewable Energy Project in the country.

· This is the most successful Renewable Energy Project in the country.

· This is the First RET project in the country with successful supply records of 240MWH. Electricity of grid quality 11,000Volt power.

First in the world:

· This is the largest Off-Grid Renewable Energy Project in the world.

· This is the First and Largest Wind Battery Hybrid Power Plant in the world.

· This is the First Renewable Energy Power Plant in the world with BOOSTERS.

· This is the First Renewable Energy Power Plant in the world with So many Paralleling and Serising of the 1000 pcs of 12VDC, 200AH Batteries.

· The 150KW Inverters and the synchronization and paralleling of these inverters of this project are the largest in the world of its kind.

Cost Comparisons: Plant Machineries Cost

The total global installed capacity of wind power is more than 1,30,000 MW. Wind energy technology is one of the fastest developing technologies in the world. Wind electricity has emerged as the cheapest source of grid quality renewable energy in the world. Wind power is proven all over the world. One MW grid quality AC power from wind energy costs about Tk.10.00 (normal grid connected) to 15.00 (hybrid) crores. Whereas, 1MW grid quality AC power from Solar PV will cost more than Tk.100.00 crores. Other renewable energy sources have limited scopes and very high costs in our country.

Can We Rely on Wind Power:

Total global installed capacity of wind energy is more than 1,30,000MW. Germany has total more that 30,000MW installed capacity of wind power. Our neighboring country India has total 12,000MW installed capacity of wind power. Wind Power plants have plant factors from 27% to 30% and with these plant factors they are technically feasible and commercially viable. Wind speed does not remain constant at all. It fluctuates in every second. It is also not available all the times of a day. Because of fluctuations in wind flow and non-availability for all times, wind electricity cannot be supplied directly to the consumers. It must be supplied either with batteries or with base-load power plants. This must be mentioned here that the Annual Plant Factor of all power plants of BPDB is from 45% to 48%. One of the most important problems faced with Kutubdia wind project is that the people of Kutubdia thought that the wind turbines will produce electricity at its full capacity 365 days in a year like the diesel generators. For the Wind Turbines, wind is the fuel and it is completely dependent on nature. The wind flow is very weak in the Winter Season and good during the Summer Season. During morning hours up to 10 O-Clock, the wind is very weak or zero. From 10:00 AM, wind starts to blow and at about 12:00 Noon, the wind is good for electricity generation. Summer winds are better for electricity generation that the Winter winds. The electricity generation from this 1MW capacity power is 0 to 400KW during winter season (November to February) and 0 to 800KW in the Monsoon Season (March to October) depending on the available wind speeds. Sometimes, the wind is very good but sometimes it is zero. So, we cannot supply 1MW electricity all the times of a day and 365 days of a year. When we started to supply wind electricity for 3 hours during day times and 3 to 4 hours during night times, the people and some high level engineers of BPDB ordered us to supply 1MW power for 24 hours. They think that the 1MW plant will generate 1MW power even little wind is there irrespective of wind speed. Now, the people of Kutubdia and engineers of BPDB are understanding the real situation.

Cyclones Faced by the Project:

SIDR: During project implementation phase, on 15/11/2007, the Super Cyclone SIDR crossed the coastal areas of Bangladesh. There was 10 to 15 feet higher tidal surge above the dam in front of the project. All equipment and materials were submerged by those high waters. Some 3-Ton Steel Towers were taken away by those strong waves deep inside the sea. All completely ready civil construction materials including 1800 sacks of cement were fully damaged. After the SIDR, we started the implementation works again. Installation works were completed on 31/12/2007.

Nargis: The Tropical Cyclone Reshmi crossed the coastal areas of Bangladesh on 5 May 2008 with danger signal no. 10 and with winds of about 200 to 240 km/hr. Our project was partially harmed and we supplied power after about 3 months of this cyclone.

Reshmi : The Tropical Cyclone Reshmi crossed the coastal areas of Bangladesh on 28 October 2008 with danger signal no. 6 and with winds of about 140 to 160km/hr. Our project was not harmed and we supplied power just after 2 days of this cyclone.

Bijli : The Tropical Cyclone Bijli crossed the coastal areas of Bangladesh on 18 April 2009 with danger signal no. 7 and with winds of about 150 to 180km/hr. Our project was not harmed and we supplied power just after 3 days of this cyclone. But the dam was partially damaged.

Aila : The Tropical Cyclone Aila crossed the coastal areas of Bangladesh on 25 May April 2009 with danger signal no. 7 and with winds of about 150 to 180km/hr. Our project was not harmed and we supplied power just after 3 days of this cyclone. But the damaged was completely washed away.

After all these six severe cyclones and also some dangerous tornadoes, all 50 nos. wind turbines are running very well and we are still supplying electricity for 5 to 6 hours everyday at the maximum capacity of the WBHPP. So, cyclones and tornadoes are no more the main hindrances for wind power exploitation.

Technical Achievements:

We have been operating and maintaining this wind energy project for more than one and half years. During this operation and maintenance period, we have faced many challenging problems. We have invented local solutions and have solved all those challenging problems with locally available equipment and materials. We have invented very easy solutions to the most complicated and delicate problems of the equipment materials of the Wind Battery Hybrid Power Plant.

Potentials of Wind Energy in Bangladesh:

My company has measured wind speeds at four locations in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. These locations are (1) Parky Saikat near Patenga, Chittagong; (2) Mognamaghat, Pekua, Cox’s Bazar; (3) Muhuri Dam, Sonagazi, Feni; and (4) Kuakata, Patuakhali. These four sites are representatives of the entire coastal areas of our country. We have seen that the annual average wind speed in these four sites is more than 6.5 m/s. It an internationally accepted thumb rule that a site having annual average wind speed of 6.0 m/s or higher is feasible for harnessing wind electricity with commercial viability. From our preliminary data, we can understand that generating electrical energy with commercial viability in Bangladesh is possible.

We have more than 1400 km coastal lines (including all curvatures) along the Bay of Bengal. The average capacity of the most widely installed and most popular grid connected wind turbine in India and other countries is 2 MW. Up to 10km distance inside from the coastal belt is very much suitable for wind energy harnessing without any effect of the terrains or roughness classes. So, the area of the highly prospective zone for wind power harnessing along the coastal areas is about 1400x10 ≈14,000sq.km. Our coastal is thickly populated. More 3 to 4 crore people are living in those areas. Our coastal areas have many golden resources like salt, fish, shrimp etc. So, 100% of this 14,000sq.km prospective areas will not be available for harnessing wind power. The land used by wind turbines can be easily used for other purposes. In light of all these circumstances, if we consider, only 20% of this total propective zone to be available for the installation of the wind turbines, it is about 3500sq.km. It is possible to install 10 to 15 wind turbines of 2MW capacity in 1sq.km area. So, in only 20% of our coastal areas which is highly prospective for wind power, we can install up to 28,000 MW of wind turbines. These potentials are only for the grid connected wind turbines.

Moreover, in the remote and isolated islands, we can install small wind turbines of up to 20KW capacity and thus we can fulfill their constitutional rights for grid quality electricity. The small scale wind turbines can be installed at any remote and isolated place in the country at any time.

Natural Coincidence:

In our country, the peak windy season is from April to September i.e. during the Summer Season. The Summer Season is also peak demand season for electricity. So, the increased demand for electricity during the Summer Season can easily be satisfied by the wind electricity available from the higher monsoon winds.

Multiple Purposes of the WBHPP:

The WBHPP at Kutubdia has become a tourist spot. In last year, we got more than 20,000 visitors for the WBHPP at Kutubdia. Moreover, the project can serve as a training centre for human resource development for further such type of projects in the country and also in abroad.

Conclusion:

Each citizen and all areas of the country have the constitutional rights not for 12Volt electricity but for 440V, 50Hz grid quality. The whole country is suffering from severe load-shedding during the peak hours of 19:00hrs to 24:00 hrs. But with the help of the Wind Battery Hybrid Power Plant, there was no load-shedding at Kutubdia during the peak demand hours in last one and half years. Our people have become so much skilled that only few persons can install the small wind turbines at any place in the country at any time. So, the electricity demand of the remote and isolated islands of Bangladesh can be satisfied with the small scale wind turbines. Unlike solar PV, they can run small and cottage industry machineries with the perfect 440Volt AC, 50Hz grid quality wind power. Thus, wind power can play an important role for the overall socio-economic development of Bangladesh.

Source & News By: Kutubi Forum