ABSTRACT
As a traditional rule, the smaller a power system is, the larger the costs of electricity generation per kWh. Small-scale power plants can be used in many circumstances, from grid connection to stand-alone systems. Especially for stand-alone systems, it is worth keeping in mind that the renewable sources are sometimes sized to cover a worst-case scenario, which means that they will be oversized for a normal situation and some power often has to be curtailed. For traditional grid-connected systems, the selection of operating voltage for the most small-scale renewable energy systems is simple – just use the voltage of the grid. One of the uses of small renewable systems is powering remote locations, where transporting large or heavy equipment to site can be difficult. Power systems above household-size will often have a more beneficial peak/average load ratio and more efficient diesel power systems with lower relative fuel consumption at low load.
