An overview of wind energy development and associated power system reliability evaluation methods

Wind energy is the most promising renewable energy source that can reduce the consumption of fossil resources and helps to meet the requirement in the reduction of emissions in electricity generation. In terms of percentage of yearly growth of installed capacity, wind energy has been the fastest growing energy technology during the past twenty years. Due to the intermittent characteristics of wind power generation, there will be negative effects on power system reliability. Impacts on different reliability assessment methods will be investigated. Also, the advantages and disadvantages of different reliability assessment methods will be discussed in details. An example has been used to illustrate how wind energy affects the reliability of power system.