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Innovative Energy Management Strategies for Utility-Scale Hybrid Renewable Power Plants

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026 | Viewed by 356

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Interests: wind energy; solar energy; battery storage; utility scale hybrid power plant; grid simulation; power to x; green hydrogen; underground hydrogen storage; circular economy; optimization; energy policy

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Guest Editor
Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of North Dakota, 2844 Campus Road, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
Interests: underground energy storage; geomechanics; hydrogen; energy and society

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Guest Editor
School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
Interests: power systems; power electronics; smart grids; renewable energy; EVs

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Guest Editor
Petroleum Recovery Research Center, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
Interests: data analytics; subsurface storage; optimization; enhanced oil recovery; geomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
VP Research & Economic Development, University of North Dakota, 2844 Campus Rd, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
Interests: energy; emission control; thero-economic analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid global transition toward low-carbon energy systems requires the large-scale integration of renewable energy resources. Since major renewable sources such as wind and solar are inherently intermittent and highly dependent on weather conditions, energy storage has become essential for ensuring a reliable and stable power supply. In this context, hybrid power plants that combine wind, solar, and energy storage systems have emerged as a key solution for delivering dispatchable renewable electricity, enhancing grid stability, maximizing infrastructure utilization, reducing carbon emissions, and providing essential ancillary services. These systems are increasingly expected to gradually replace conventional power plants in modern power systems. However, despite their significant technical potential, large-scale deployment of hybrid power plants still faces major challenges, including operational complexity, inadequate system sizing, and financial viability.

This Special Issue aims to disseminate cutting-edge research on intelligent control, optimization, and operational frameworks that directly address these barriers.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced forecasting methodologies for renewable generation, load demand, market prices, and grid service needs using artificial intelligence and data-driven approaches;
  • Hybrid forecasting–optimization frameworks for improving system reliability and economic performance under uncertainty;
  • Integrated techno-economic–environmental–social–governance (TEESG) assessment of hybrid renewable power plant;
  • Life-cycle environmental impact analysis, carbon accounting, and sustainability evaluation of hybrid power plants;
  • Control and Dispatch of Grid-Forming Hybrid Power Plants with Energy Storage;
  • Real-time coordination, stability enhancement, and frequency–voltage control;
  • Strategies to enhance financial viability and innovative investment models;
  • Grid-interactive and islanded operation strategies;
  • Control framework for black start capability and system restoration of hybrid power plant.

Dr. Shree Om Bade
Prof. Dr. Richard Allen Schultz
Prof. Dr. Hossein Salehfar
Dr. William Ampomah
Prof. Dr. Michael Mann
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • utility-scale hybrid power plants
  • energy management systems
  • control strategies
  • uncertainty modeling
  • power system stability
  • ancillary services
  • techno-economic assessment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 4194 KB  
Article
Hybrid SC-BESS-STATCOM for Improved Fault Ride-Through and Load Disturbance Performance in Power Systems
by Hormoz Mehrkhodavandi, Ali Arefi, Amirmehdi Yazdani and Melina Charu Joseph
Energies 2026, 19(11), 2614; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19112614 - 28 May 2026
Abstract
This study investigates the coordinated impact of a synchronous condenser (SC), battery energy storage system (BESS), and static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) on enhancing voltage and frequency stability in a modified IEEE 9-bus power system under severe disturbances. The aim is to quantify the [...] Read more.
This study investigates the coordinated impact of a synchronous condenser (SC), battery energy storage system (BESS), and static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) on enhancing voltage and frequency stability in a modified IEEE 9-bus power system under severe disturbances. The aim is to quantify the individual and combined contributions of these technologies during both fault ride-through (FRT) and load-increment events. The methodology includes dynamic modelling of all three devices in DIgSILENT PowerFactory. The SC is represented as a synchronous machine with inertia and AVR-based voltage control; the BESS employs converter-based active power and frequency-droop control; and the STATCOM provides fast reactive power injection through a dual-loop voltage regulator. Key indicators include nadir (minimum frequency), Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF), steady-state deviation, voltage sag depth, and recovery characteristics. Results indicate distinct roles for each device. The SC increases inertia and improves damping, but it also introduces small, well-damped oscillations. The BESS significantly enhances frequency stability by mitigating nadir, reducing RoCoF, and accelerating recovery, with negligible effect on voltage regulation. The STATCOM substantially reduces voltage sag and speeds up voltage recovery, but it does not influence frequency behaviour. When combined, the hybrid SC–BESS–STATCOM system demonstrates strong complementarity: the SC supports inertia, the BESS stabilizes active-power imbalance, and the STATCOM ensures fast reactive-power compensation. Full article
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