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The Azores are located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, scattered along a 600 km stretch of the ocean and are one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal. The archipelago consists of 9 islands that are very distinct from one another. The Azores currently generate about 40% of their electricity from renewables, 60% of which come from geothermal energy. Each island in the archipelago has its own isolated autonomous energy system and is well-suited to take advantage of renewable energy resources including wind, solar, and geothermal.

Find out more about the current status of renewable energies on the Azores including BESS systems, their local power utility company as well as the nine islands with their nine isolated power systems.

POWER SYSTEM OF THE AZORES

One challenge of island grids and micro-grids is to maintain the balance between production and consumption. Diesel generators are still frequently used for this task. Due to the unavoidable dependence on fuel price and delivery options, and the environmental impact, alternatives are being sought. Wind and solar power are independent of imported fuels and environmentally friendly, and therefore the logical choice for island and micro-grids. However, these renewable energies are dependent on variable resource availability; hence their maximum production capacity is subject to natural fluctuations. It is therefore important to develop strategies for how to align production and consumption in the best possible way and to find the perfect combination of conventional and renewable energy.

The 8th International Hybrid Power Plants & Systems Workshop offers a prime opportunity to discuss the future of hybrid power systems. Participants will look at applications in a variety of locations and operating environments with a focus on system design, operating experience, business models, economics, and implementation issues.

Until its 6th edition, the important topic of Hybrid Power Plants had become increasingly present at the Hybrid Power Systems Workshop. It has been represented with a long list of topics in the Call for Papers as well as with dedicated sessions in the event agenda. To make it even clearer that Hybrid Power Plants have found their permanent place in this workshop the event has been renamed in 2023 to Hybrid Power Plants & Systems Workshop.

We are convinced that the two topics complement each other well, as similar issues are addressed, especially in the area of control systems.

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