Wind power is variable, uncertain, intermittent and site specific. The operating capacity credit associated with a wind farm is therefore considerably different from that assigned to a conventional generating unit and as wind penetrations in conventional power systems increase, it is vital that wind power be fully integrated in power system planning and operating protocols.<p> The research described in this thesis is focused on the determination of the operating capacity benefits associated with adding wind power to a conventional power system. Probabilistic techniques are used to quantify the risk and operating capacity benefits under various risk criteria. A short term wind speed probability distribution and short term wind power probability distribution forecasting model is presented and a multi-state model of a wind farm is utilized to determine several operating performance indices. The concepts and developed model are illustrated by application to two published test systems. The increase in peak load carrying capability attributable to added wind power is examined under a range of system operating conditions that include the effects of seasonality, locality and wind parameter trends. The operating capacity credit associated with dependent and independent wind farms is also examined. The dependent and independent conditions provide boundary values that clearly indicate the effects of wind speed correlation. Well-being analyses which incorporate the accepted deterministic criterion in an evaluation of the system operating state probabilities is applied to the wind integrated test systems using a novel approach to calculate the operating state probabilities. Most modern power systems are interconnected to one or more other power systems and therefore have increased access and exposure to wind power. This thesis examines the risk benefits associated with wind integrated interconnected power systems under various conditions using the two test systems.<p> The research described in this thesis clearly illustrates that the operating capacity benefits associated with wind power can be quantified and used in making generating capacity scheduling decisions in a wind integrated power system.

Wind power is variable, uncertain, intermittent and site specific. The operating capacity credit associated with a wind farm is therefore considerably different from that assigned to a conventional generating unit and as wind penetrations in conventional power systems increase, it is vital that wind power be fully integrated in power system planning and operating protocols.<p> The research described in this thesis is focused on the determination of the operating capacity benefits associated with adding wind power to a conventional power system. Probabilistic techniques are used to quantify the risk and operating capacity benefits under various risk criteria. A short term wind speed probability distribution and short term wind power probability distribution forecasting model is presented and a multi-state model of a wind farm is utilized to determine several operating performance indices. The concepts and developed model are illustrated by application to two published test systems. The increase in peak load carrying capability attributable to added wind power is examined under a range of system operating conditions that include the effects of seasonality, locality and wind parameter trends. The operating capacity credit associated with dependent and independent wind farms is also examined. The dependent and independent conditions provide boundary values that clearly indicate the effects of wind speed correlation. Well-being analyses which incorporate the accepted deterministic criterion in an evaluation of the system operating state probabilities is applied to the wind integrated test systems using a novel approach to calculate the operating state probabilities. Most modern power systems are interconnected to one or more other power systems and therefore have increased access and exposure to wind power. This thesis examines the risk benefits associated with wind integrated interconnected power systems under various conditions using the two test systems.<p> The research described in this thesis clearly illustrates that the operating capacity benefits associated with wind power can be quantified and used in making generating capacity scheduling decisions in a wind integrated power system.

Access to reliable electric power is considered by the developed world to be a minimum requirement for a reasonable standard of living. In addition to meeting a fluctuating demand, the modern electricity industry must now integrate intermittent generation sources like wind into the grid. Reserve margin allocation (RMA) for an acceptable loss of load expectation (LOLE) allows traditional generators to maintain grid reliability in the presence of small penetrations of wind energy. However, traditional RMA over-allocates the reserve capacity in the presence of short-term intermittency mitigation techniques like energy storage and demand response. For economic operation of the modern, grid better characterization techniques are needed for reserve margin reduction behavior in the presence of wind energy. This thesis addresses this challenge with a quantitative RMA analysis using real-world and simulated wind data for three different grid scenarios, with and without intermittency mitigation. The research is novel in its first-principles approach and its investigation into the practical validity of the analogy between demand response and energy response.