Abstract
At the moment of writing, in Italy, there is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Its outbreak is leading to severe global socioeconomic disruptions impacting on all economic sectors from tourism, industry and the tertiary sector, up to the operational and opening of public offices, the closure of schools and the organization of families. Measures adopted by the Italian government to deal with the COVID-19 emergency have had direct effects both on people’s daily lives and on the activity of most industrial and commercial production companies. These changes have been unequivocally reflected also on the Italian electricity system, which has shown unprecedented behavior in terms of both energy consumption and volume—and subsequently, in the observed share of renewable and conventional production technologies. The goal of this study is to show the impact on the power industry of all the restrictions and lockdown of the activities in Italy and to discuss the effects of COVID-19 outbreak on the bulk power system and the entire electricity sector. In particular, the consequences on load profiles, electricity consumption and market prices in Italy, including the environmental aspects, are examined.
Highlights
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in China’s Hubei province in late 2019
The economic effects of crises arising from COVID-19 have manifested themselves in the disruption of supply chains and the consequent interruption of productive and commercial activities
These changes have caused in the electricity sector tangible changes in power consumption profiles due to the shutdown of public offices, schools and various business facilities, with consequences on the entire operation of the electrical system
Summary
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in China’s Hubei province in late 2019. Accurate analysis of the current situation will allow a better estimation of scenarios with higher penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) and their effects on the future power industry In this context, the goal of this study is to provide detailed and comprehensive information related to the alterations on load profiles, electricity demand and both wholesale and ancillary services market prices in Italy due to the restrictions and lockdown of the activities, providing powerful insights about the resilience of the entire electricity sector for a prolonged period of low consumption/production ratio and posing issues which can serve as inspiration for future research
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