Balancing power and variable renewables: Three links

Hirth, Lion; Ziegenhagen, Inka

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.04.180

Cited by 272 publications

(166 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Each country possesses its unique characteristics that would result in a different cost of intermittency [15]. Among the factors that affect the intermittency costs are technology mix, fuel mix, fuel price, and load profile to mention a few.…”

Section: Methodology and Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The additional costs are mainly due to back-up requirement to cover for reduced output from renewables during cloud cover for example and more frequent or larger ramping flexibility of dispatchable technologies. Although the latter description of intermittency cost is relatively easy to understand qualitatively, the specificity of each country or region hinders generalizing a single figure for this cost [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adding solar PV to the Saudi power system: what is the cost of intermittency?

Elshurafa

Matar

2017

Energy Transit

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With 2015 as a reference year, we quantify the costs of solar photovoltaics (PV) intermittency and integration to power utilities in Saudi Arabia. We define intermittency costs as the costs of ramping and maintaining spinning reserves, while integration costs are defined as the costs of intermittency plus the costs of grid upgrades if they were needed. The operational facets of PV integration to grid operators will be more pronounced with higher PV penetration, so to focus on operation, we exclude capital costs. The cost of intermittency, excluding any benefits attained from PV operation, rises to 1.3 ¢/kWh of energy provided by PV at 20 GW of PV deployment. At low levels of penetration, renewables may impose negligible cost or even confer net benefits. However, above a certain level, costs will always outweigh benefits-what we refer to as the 'Operational Blend Wall'. It was found that the operational blend wall for Saudi Arabia was 11 GW, based on actual fuel costs prevailing in the period of study. The net financial effect of PV integration on operation, considering both costs of benefits, was an increase of 0.04 ¢/kWh and occurs at 20 GW of PV deployment. The maximum capacity of PV addition considered is 20GW, which represents a 25% penetration level within the power system.

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Section: Methodology and Assumptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adding solar PV to the Saudi power system: what is the cost of intermittency?

Elshurafa

Matar

2017

Energy Transit

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“…Plants based on solid biomass accounted for 25.1% of bioelectricity production, biogas and biomethane plants for 73.9% and liquid biomass-based plants for 1% [35]. Overall, biogas plants play the most important role for bioelectricity generationin 2016, 8400 agricultural biogas plants with a rated capacity of 4.1 GW el and ca.…”

Section: Status Quo Of Bioelectricity Production In Germanymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analysing the development of German balancing markets between 2008 and 2015, Hirth and Ziegenhagen [73] find that even though the installed capacity of vRES tripled, balancing reserves in Germany were reduced by 15%, while the costs of balancing provision decreased by 50%. In particular, the size of secondary and tertiary balancing markets has decreased, accompanied by reductions in balancing prices.…”

Section: Market Incentives For Flexible Power Generation From Biomassmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of flexible power generation from biomass to a secure and cost-effective electricity supply—a review of potentials, incentives and obstacles in Germany

et al. 2018

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Background: With wind power and photovoltaics, volatile renewables have emerged as central pillars of the energy transition. This increases the demand for flexibility options to compensate fluctuations in power generation. Focussing on the role of bioenergy as a renewable flexibility option, this article seeks to address two questions. The first is whether there is an option value of bioenergy as a provider of low-carbon flexibility in a future power system, which might justify continued technology-specific deployment support. The second question is whether existing market and policy incentives are effective in activating flexibility potentials, and what perspectives exist for increasing flexibility incentives. Methods: The article follows an interdisciplinary approach. First, technical potentials for flexible bioenergy plants and potential systemic contributions are examined. This is followed by an economic assessment of what flexibility incentives are provided by relevant market and policy framework conditions. Findings: Power from biomass can be well suited to provide flexible generation for grid stabilisation and residual load balancing. Biogas plants require an increase of nominal power over rated power, whereas the technical flexibilisation potential of solid biomass plants depends on specific technologies. Particularly, small-scale combined heat and power systems can deliver fast responses. For existing biogas plants, the Renewable Energy Sources Act's (EEG) flexibility premium and balancing market revenues have incentivised some changes in the production behaviour and investments in plant flexibilisation. However, decreasing spot market price levels and decreasing price variance reduce incentive strength. This also limits flexibilisation incentives for solid biomass plants. For new biogas plants, the EEG's remuneration rules set effective flexibility incentives, but 2014 reductions in remuneration rates have significantly slowed down the expansion. Conclusions: Given high technical potentials for flexibility provision, there is an option value of keeping bioelectricity in the technology mix until more is known about its future competitiveness with other low-carbon flexibility options. To maintain this option value, there is a case for setting policy incentives in a way that continued technological development remains possible. A stringent climate policy could accelerate structural change in the electricity sector, to allow for market price signals which incentivise low-carbon flexibility provision.

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“…Both supply-side and demand-side measures for increasing the flexibility of a power system to enable high levels of renewable energy have been discussed [12][13][14]. Heat pump technology and electric boilers represent the two main methods used to increase wind power accommodation at the supply side [15][16][17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimum Electric Boiler Capacity Configuration in a Regional Power Grid for a Wind Power Accommodation Scenario

Zhang

Bao-hua

et al. 2016

Energies

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Abstract:Wind power generation reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and can thus reduce environmental pollution. However, rapid wind power development has caused various issues related to power grid restructuring. A high proportion of the generating capacity of northeast China is based on combined heat and power (CHP), whose inflexible response to the peak regulation of power grids hinders the ability to accommodate wind power; thus, wind power curtailment is prevalent. Electric boilers can directly consume the excess wind power to supply heat during low load periods and thus mitigate the heat supply stress of CHP units. Therefore, electric boilers improve the power grid's ability to accommodate additional wind power. From a regional power grid perspective, this paper discussed the feasibility of such a strategy for increasing the ability to accommodate wind power during the heat supply season. This paper analysed the optimum electric boiler capacity configuration of a regional power grid based on various constraint conditions, such as the heat-power balance, with the objective of maximising the associated social benefits. Using the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei power grid as an example, the optimum electric boiler capacity of the studied power grid is approximately 1100 MW.

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Balancing power and variable renewables: Three links

Cited by 272 publications

References 64 publications

Adding solar PV to the Saudi power system: what is the cost of intermittency?

Adding solar PV to the Saudi power system: what is the cost of intermittency?

Contributions of flexible power generation from biomass to a secure and cost-effective electricity supply—a review of potentials, incentives and obstacles in Germany

Optimum Electric Boiler Capacity Configuration in a Regional Power Grid for a Wind Power Accommodation Scenario

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