The Role of Flexibility Resources in the Energy Transition

Abstract

Extremely adaptable power systems are required, as the share of variable renewable energy sources increases. The variable renewable energy sources' ability to be installed on the grid, is frequently thought to be constrained by a limited flexible capacity. A general, methodological framework, for the optimal scheduling of an islanded power system, with a variety of flexibility resources, is presented in this work. In particular, it takes into account a significant amount of intermittent RES and the widespread use of electric vehicles that offer charging and discharging options. The modeling in this work also considers demand response programs' active market participation and the installation of energy storage capacities. Additionally, it covers the involvement of electricity interconnections, as a source of flexibility. Two illustrative case studies of an island power system connected to a mainland power system, have been used, to evaluate the applicability of the proposed strategy. The scheduling framework is daily, with an hourly interval. The results of the modeling show how important all of the flexibility resources are, for effective energy management and the supply of ancillary services, especially in cases for high-RES penetration. The proposed method can be used by market operators, policymakers and regulatory authorities, to choose the best system development, market design and portfolio synthesis.

Extremely adaptable power systems are required, as the share of variable renewable energy sources increases. The variable renewable energy sources' ability to be installed on the grid, is frequently thought to be constrained by a limited flexible capacity. A general, methodological framework, for the optimal scheduling of an islanded power system, with a variety of flexibility resources, is presented in this work. In particular, it takes into account a significant amount of intermittent RES and the widespread use of electric vehicles that offer charging and discharging options. The modeling in this work also considers demand response programs' active market participation and the installation of energy storage capacities. Additionally, it covers the involvement of electricity interconnections, as a source of flexibility. Two illustrative case studies of an island power system connected to a mainland power system, have been used, to evaluate the applicability of the proposed strategy. The scheduling framework is daily, with an hourly interval. The results of the modeling show how important all of the flexibility resources are, for effective energy management and the supply of ancillary services, especially in cases for high-RES penetration. The proposed method can be used by market operators, policymakers and regulatory authorities, to choose the best system development, market design and portfolio synthesis.