A European Perspective: Potential of Grid and Storage for Balancing Renewable Power Systems

Abstract

AbstractIncreasing transmission grid capacities and the use of storage devices are two options often considered to balance the fluctuations originating from variable renewable energy sources (VRES) in power supply systems. We investigate which storage characteristics are most beneficial for integrating a high share of VRES into a fully connected European power system. By applying a modeling approach to long‐term meteorological and load data, we find that a suitable combination of solar and wind capacities permits the cost‐effective integration of very high shares of VRES if complemented with the installation of small, highly efficient storage systems and fully flexible backup capacities. Our simulations also show that the grid is used significantly for approximately 3/4 of the time to balance surpluses and deficits. The results emphasize that the expansion of the European transmission grid is an important option to consider for the reduction of the required balancing measures for integrating very high shares of VRES.