Three aspects of balancing – production, energy storage and new consumption
Sweden aims for an electric power system with net zero-carbon emissions. Common for such electricity systems is that they will consist of high shares of renewable energy sources, up to 100% of the total power production. The variation in renewable generation creates a substantial need for balancing and for optimal use of the existing assets.
The key to manage the power balance is flexibility, both from generation and demand side. In this respect, energy storage can provide flexibility on both sides and is often considered as a third source of flexibility. This project will target all types of flexibility, in terms of: Coordination and more effective use of different technologies for power generating plants, Optimal storage location for local- and peak-power provision, system capacity enhancement and ancillary services provision Feasible development trajectories of V-RES, batteries, grid and electrolysis using a whole-system approach.
This project targets all three sources of flexibility – consumption, generation, and storage – to support the development towards electricity supply from 100 % renewables generation. In response to these challenges, a joint project proposal between Uppsala University, Chalmers University and Lund University has been developed, aiming at investigating, and identifying solutions under three different aspects of balancing: generation, storage, and new consumption.
Uppsala University will focus on demonstrating how combining power plants of different types with each other and with storage is beneficial for contributing with ancillary services, balancing, and also possibility for island operation. Hybridisation and Virtualisation of remote storage combined with coordinated operation can benefit the grid. The outcome will be optimisation methods for combining resources. Simulation models for different types of storage and power plants will be studied in a common platform for interchangeability.
Chalmers University will focus on optimal location of energy storage for system capacity enhancement and ancillary services provision, both in transmission and in distribution grids. The project aims at demonstrating how the location of electricity storage affects the value of the installation, with respect to various grid scenarios and system services, in addition to the pure energy storage capability. Storage systems under investigation include, but are not limited to: batteries, hydro dams and power-to-hydro-gen-to-power (for example, H2-driven steam turbines). Local power and peak-power provision, as well as frequency control and others are services to be considered.
Lund University will focus on how the capacity developments of V-RES, new consumption (mainly electrolysis), electricity storage (mainly batteries) and grid affect each other. Optimization will be used to find feasible combinations, but in contrast to presenting scenarios for certain years like 2035 and 2045, the aim is here to present trajectories with yearly resolution showing how the four parts could develop. Similar emphasis is on how changes in each part affect the others. Probabilistic methods are attractive, and the aim is to use these also with the time-dependencies introduced by storage. The evaluation of each year is based on hourly resolution, and faster variations are disregarded and left to the other two subprojects. A whole-system approach is used considering generation, transmission and distribution networks, and consumption and the aim is to involve representatives from all these in the project.
Involved in the project
Olof Samuelsson, Lund University; PhD student, Lund University; Urban Lundin, Uppsala University; PhD student, Uppsala University; Torbjörn Thiringer, Chalmers University of Technology; Sara Fogelström, Chalmers University of Technology
Partners
Akademiska hus, DNV, Göteborg Energi, Herrljunga elektriska, Hitachi Energy, Liquid Wind, Mölndal Energi, Nilson Energy, Göteborgs hamn, Repono, Soltech, Svk, Texel, Vattenfall, Volvo cars