Abstract
The North Sea Offshore Grid (NSOG) is considered an important contributor towards large-scale integration of renewables and electricity market coupling. Different typologies have been studied for such a multinational power grid, ranging from radial point-to-point connections to more integrated meshed typologies. An artificial island enables a high level of integration of both offshore wind power and transnational trade due to economies of scale. This paper present multiple case studies of the Power Link Island (PLI) which is visioned by TenneT in the Doggerbank area. Our results demonstrate that the capabilities of such an island could add significant value to the system as a result of more efficient use of geographically spread, cost-efficient resources. However, depending on the future level of grid integration and generation mix, the added value of a PLI varies between e0.15bn to e20bn. Consequently, this could result in 18% more efficient utilization of renewable resources, primarily offshore wind, and significant reductions of CO2 emissions.
Highlights
The North Sea Offshore Grid (NSOG) has been identified as one of the strategic infrastructure projects in EU Regulation No 347/2013 with the twofold purpose of integrating offshore wind resources and integrating markets for increased cross-border trade (EU Commission, 2011; European Commission, 2016)
In order to speed up investments and attract private investors, financial support netting e5.35bn is provided by Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), but this is only a small portion of the estimated e140bn worth of necessary electricity infrastructure upgrades the coming decade (ENTSO-E, 2016)
A sensitivity analysis is presented in order to evaluate the value of a Power Link Island (PLI) under varying shares of offshore wind power (OWP)
Summary
The North Sea Offshore Grid (NSOG) has been identified as one of the strategic infrastructure projects in EU Regulation No 347/2013 with the twofold purpose of integrating offshore wind resources and integrating markets for increased cross-border trade (EU Commission, 2011; European Commission, 2016). Several studies have addressed different grid designs and the added value of a NSOG as a result of cost-efficient utilization of variables renewable energy sources (VRES), reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and increased security of supply (Van Hulle et al, 2009; Egerer, Kunz, & Hirschhausen, 2013; Gorenstein Dedecca & Hakvoort, 2016). Typologies, being a combination of grid topology and technology, are traditionally divided into two groups; radial and integrated (Trotscher & Korpas, 2011; Gorenstein Dedecca & Hakvoort, 2016). In order to connect four countries one would need six transmission corridors in order to interlink them all with radial typology, in addition to individual offshore wind power (OWP) connections, while with an integrated typology the number of corridors is reduced from six to four (with approximately half the length, each). An integrated typology will achieve a higher level of utilization at each
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