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20 pages, 3537 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Demand Flexibility Enabled by Virtual Energy Storage to Improve Renewable Energy Penetration

by Gabriele Fambri, Marco Badami, Dimosthenis Tsagkrasoulis, Vasiliki Katsiki, Georgios Giannakis and Antonis Papanikolaou

Energies 2020, 13(19), 5128; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195128 - 1 Oct 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2466

Abstract

The increasing resort to renewable energy distributed generation, which is needed to mitigate anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, leads to challenges concerning the proper operation of electric distribution systems. As a result of the intrinsic nature of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs), this generation shows a high volatility and a low predictability that make the balancing of energy production and consumption difficult. At the same time, the electrification of new energy-intensive sectors (such as heating) is expected. This complex scenario paves the way for new sources of flexibility that will have more and more relevance in the coming years. This paper analyses how the electrification of the heating system, combined with an electric flexibility utilisation module, can be used to mitigate the problems related to the fluctuating production of RES. By using Power-to-Heat (P2H) technologies, buildings are able to store the overproduction of RES in the form of thermal energy for end-use according to the principle of the so-called Virtual Energy Storage (VES). A context-aware demand flexibility extraction based on the VES model and the flexibility upscale and utilisation on district-level through grid simulation and energy flow optimisation is presented in the paper. The involved modules have been developed within the PLANET (PLAnning and operational tools for optimising energy flows and synergies between energy NETworks) H2020 European project and interact under a unified co-simulation framework with the PLANET Decision Support System (DSS) for the analysis of multi-energy scenarios. DSS has been used to simulate a realistic future energy scenario, according to which the imbalance problems triggered by RES overproduction are mitigated with the optimal exploitation of the demand flexibility enabled by VES. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Flows and Synergies between Energy Networks)

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18 pages, 270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regulation, Innovation, and Systems Integration: Evidence from the EU

by Carlo Cambini, Raffaele Congiu and Golnoush Soroush

Energies 2020, 13(7), 1670; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13071670 - 3 Apr 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2560

Abstract

Energy systems integration (ESI) provides a holistic view of the electricity, gas, and heat sectors, which allows the identification and delivery of system solutions that lead to an overall cost efficiency while granting the reliability of the energy system. In this paper, we search for evidence of investments in ESI in the EU to assess whether policymakers are incentivizing its adoption adequately. To do so, we examine how innovation is being fostered in the energy sector in six EU countries by looking at the incentives provided by each country’s regulatory system. We look for evidence on investments in ESI-enabling technologies or ESI projects. We find a variety of approaches towards incentivizing innovation, which range from regulation-driven to government-driven ones. Preferences for different technologies emerge on a per-country basis. Nevertheless, what appears as most striking is the low level of investments throughout the six countries, both for ESI-enabling technologies and ESI projects. Although ESI’s role in the EU’s green transition has been recognized, there is still a need for technological and policy solutions to foster its adoption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Flows and Synergies between Energy Networks)

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16 pages, 4187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Decision Support System Tool to Manage the Flexibility in Renewable Energy-Based Power Systems

by Marco Badami, Gabriele Fambri, Salvatore Mancò, Mariapia Martino, Ioannis G. Damousis, Dimitrios Agtzidis and Dimitrios Tzovaras

Energies 2020, 13(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010153 - 28 Dec 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3737

Abstract

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) have taken on an increasingly important role in the energy mix in the last few years, and it has been forecasted that this trend will continue in the future. The energy production from these sources is not dispatchable, and the increasing penetration of RES in energy mixes may therefore lead to a progressive loss of generation control and predictability. It has become clear that, to reach higher RES penetration levels, it is essential to increase power system flexibility in order to ensure stable operations are maintained. An ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tool that may be used to manage and optimize the flexibility offered by energy storage and conversion systems is described in this paper with specific reference to the Decision Support System (DSS) developed within the H2020 PLANET (PLAnning and operational tools for optimizing energy flows and synergies between energy NETworks) project. The paper focuses on how the PLANET DSS tool evaluates, manages, and dispatches the flexibility of Power to Gas/Heat (P2X) technologies. Moreover, the tool has been used to analyze a realistic case in order to show how the PLANET DSS tool could be used to evaluate the energy and economic benefits of taking advantage of the flexibility of P2X technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Flows and Synergies between Energy Networks)

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