Engineering Research Writer of the Year presentation from the AEngD annual conference, 26 November 2013

1. The Winds of Change
Dr Marek Kubik
AEngD Annual conference
26th November 2013
email: m.kubik@pgr.reading.ac.uk
m.l.kubik@hotmail.com
web: mlkubik.tumblr.com
twitter: @mlkubik

2. 風向轉變時,有人築牆,有人造風車
- Ancient Chinese Proverb
“When the winds of change
blow, some will build
walls, others will build
windmills”

3. Outline
• Why the Irish are pioneers
• The challenges of
renewable variability
• Potential solutions
• Where am I now?
Image: PhD Comics

4. Why Northern Ireland?
• Huge 40% renewable electricity
target for 2020
• Substantial wind resource
• Weak interconnection
• AES (industry sponsor) has strong
commercial presence

5. The challenges
Impacts and
opportunities
• Wind ramping rates
• Wind curtailment
• Diminishing plant mix
• Constrained running

6. System Operator concerns
Relaxing system security lowers curtailment and
emissions…
But it also reduces flexibility and increases the
frequency of wind ramping events.

7. The solutions
Batteries
Plant modification
Interconnection

8. Where have I gone?
Durham University Civil
Engineering MEng
Visiting Researcher at
Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology (POST)
Engineering Doctorate into the impact of
renewable resource variability on fossil fuel based
electricity markets (TSBE/AES)
Business strategy advisor (AES)

9. 風向轉變時,有人築牆,有人造風車
“When the winds of change
blow, some will build
walls, others will build
windmills”
email: m.l.kubik@hotmail.com
web: mlkubik.tumblr.com
twitter: @mlkubik
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/mlkubik