Description

Sustainable generation, transmission and utilization of energy have all become a priority for addressing global concerns in relation to both depletion and irresponsible use of fossil fuel reserves. Various incentives for wider exploitation of renewable energy (RE) resources can be considered as an integral part of this mission. In recent times, decentralized power generation through renewable energy sources at low-medium power levels has gained more popularity and acceptance mainly due to the recognition of economic, social, environmental and sustainability benefits that it offers. A RE system, which typically derives power from wind, solar or biogas, allows the energy to be consumed or grid-connected at or near the point of generation. However, uninterrupted generation of energy through such renewable energy sources can never be guaranteed due to their stochastic nature. Therefore, it is common practice to employ distributed energy storage systems as an essential element to allow for demand management of renewable energy based power networks. Distributed energy storage systems can compose of banks of batteries, a combination of batteries and super-capacitors, or battery storage of electric vehicles (EV). With continual advancements in energy storage technologies, these distributed storage devices are expected to be increasingly used for storage, retrieval as well as sharing of energy in future power networks. In order to successfully implement distributed storage systems for energy storage, retrieval and sharing, they essentially require efficient integration technologies that facilitate bi-directional power flow between the storage devices, loads and energy sources. Consequently, in recent times, a significant amount of research has been carried out in search for effective wired and wireless bi-directional power transfer technologies that are suitable for integration of distributed storage devices into RE systems.