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Understanding future power system challenges with higher renewables and electrification
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Date
2022-01
Authors
Mehigan, Laura
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
Urgent action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions is needed to prevent irreversible damage to the world’s climates. An opportunity exists to decarbonise electricity systems and to aid decarbonisation of heat and transport through electrification. This can only be achieved if electricity systems incorporate significantly higher levels of renewables and can cope with higher electrification. However, achieving this is not without its challenges particularly in the decade to 2030. Failure to make meaningful progress in this crucial decade will reduce the likelihood of meeting the commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
To solve these challenges, they must first be understood. The central focus of this thesis is to improve the understanding of the challenges faced by future electricity systems with higher Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and higher electrification with an emphasis on the European power sector for the year 2030. The thesis investigates the role of Distributed Generation (DG) in future electricity systems and acknowledges that while the role of DG is important it is not the key determinant of the challenges faced in future electricity systems. The challenge of declining rotational inertia from synchronous generators is investigated and the impact of managing rather than solving this challenge is quantified for every synchronous area in the pan European power system. An exploration of how carbon price influences the role of flexibility providers (batteries and interconnection) in decarbonisation of the European power system for a policy relevant scenario reveals new insights. These insights include the importance of a high carbon price to ensure that flexibility providers reduce emissions while fossil fuels remain in the generation mix, batteries reduce solar curtailment more than interconnection, and interconnection reduces wind curtailment more than batteries.
The main contributions of the thesis are the methodological contributions and insights gained into the future challenges from both a synchronous area level and a broader European perspective. The work undertaken as part of this thesis has accelerated discussions on the challenges that will be faced to achieve renewable ambitions in 2030. In particular, this research has contributed to a recent policy decision in Ireland on the need for backup generation in 2030 and during the transition to a decarbonised system.
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Keywords
Electrification , Decarbonisation , Renewable energy , Rotational system inertia , Variable renewable energy curtailment , Battery energy storage systems , Cross-border interconnection , Distributed generation
Citation
Mehigan, L. 2022. Understanding future power system challenges with higher renewables and electrification. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.