Open Source Modelling and Simulation of the Nordic Hydro Power System

Iasonas Kouveliotis-Lysikatos,Mikael Amelin,Angelica Waernlund,Manuel Marin,Lennart Söder

doi:10.3390/en14051425

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results from the development and the simulation of a hydro power model for Sweden and Norway, using SpineOpt software and openly available data. We employ (i) hydrological and market data from the Nordic region and (ii) the abstract representation of the multi-vector modelling and simulation engine SpineOpt, to compile an open-source model of a large portion of the hydro power plants of the Nordic region, for conducting realistic hydro power generation studies. We place the hydro power system operation within the structuring of the Nordic electricity market and study the effect that different objectives have on the operational results. By employing the SpineOpt functionalities for automating the transformation of the temporal resolution of the model, we explore the trade-of between its computational burden and accuracy.

Highlights

The ambitious targets set by the EU by 2050, as a way to combat the devastating impacts of climate change comprise amongst others, a substantial rise in the share of renewable energy in the production mix, with electricity being half as much of it [1]
We have presented the development and simulation of an open-source hydro power model for Sweden and Norway, using SpineOpt software and openly available data
The hydro power stations are assigned to the market areas they belong to, but the results can be filtered by specific rivers

Summary

Introduction

The ambitious targets set by the EU by 2050, as a way to combat the devastating impacts of climate change comprise amongst others, a substantial rise in the share of renewable energy in the production mix, with electricity being half as much of it [1]. In the Nordic region, the large hydro reservoirs and hydro power production facilities can contribute significantly in balancing the variable renewable production in Continental Europe and UK with very short up and down regulation time frames and low costs [2]. The need to realistically model and simulate the coordinated operation of complex hydro power systems is evident. The challenges typically derive from the requirement to realistically model the reservoir capacities, the water delay times for a system of hydro power plants across a river, the stochasticity of water inflows (usually expressed in terms of seasonality and variability), the nonlinearity of the electricity production curves for different types of production units, the environmental restrictions, etc. The impact of climate change and global warming on the water cycle poses another important challenge that needs to be assessed as well [3], especially apropos of the long-term planning of the future electricity system

Results

Discussion

Conclusion