Ancillary Services via Flexible Photovoltaic/Wind Systems and Implicit Storage to Balance Demand and Supply

Achieving the European Union renewable energy source penetration 2030 targets requires an increase in flexible resources to compensate for the variability/intermittency of solar and wind generation to ensure system safety and balancing. Herein, two readily deployable flexibility solutions to balance demand/supply as an alternative to building additional thermoelectric reserves are proposed. How the transmission system OPERATOR can use the ancillary services provided by a flexible photovoltaic (PV) fleet (solar regulation) or PV/wind fleet (variable renewable energy (VRE) regulation) together with a suitable underforecast and proactive curtailment of variable renewable generation (aka, implicit storage) to reduce current and future Italian imbalances is shown. How these flexibility solutions can become even more effective when combined with a strengthening of the transmission grid is shown. The imbalance reduction achievable by 2030 through solar/VRE regulation strategies would be of the order of 20-50% with zonal balancing and 27-80% with nationwide balancing is found. Imbalance costs would remain comparable with the business-as-usual (thermal generation) costs. A proactive curtailment of 5-17% of the total VRE generation is the environmental cost of stabilizing the system using VRE plants, avoiding the construction of thermoelectric reserves.

Automated summary

Achieving the European Union's 2030 renewable energy source targets requires increasing flexible resources to compensate for the variability of solar and wind generation and ensure system safety and balance. This article proposes two readily deployable flexibility solutions using flexible photovoltaic (PV) or PV/wind fleets, along with underforecasting and proactive curtailment of variable renewable generation, to reduce imbalances in Italy. The study also shows that these flexibility solutions can be further enhanced by strengthening the transmission grid.