Readiness of Small Energy Markets and Electric Power Grids to Global Health Crises: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic.

David Carmon,Aviad Navon,Ram Machlev,Juri Belikov,Yoash Levron

doi:10.1109/access.2020.3008929

David Carmon, Aviad Navon + Show 3 more

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In this paper we explore how the COVID-19 pandemic, also known as Coronavirus pandemic, affected the operation of small electric grids, and what can this event teach us on the readiness of such grids in the face of future global health crises. We focus on three major effects: changing patterns of generation and consumption, frequency stability, and the joint impact of low consumption and high share of renewable energy sources. Specifically, we analyze changes in consumption in the Israeli, Estonian, and Finnish grids, and attempt to identify patterns of consumption changes that may be explained by the pandemic. We also analyze changes in voltage and frequency, and show that the low consumption caused significant deviations from the nominal values of both parameters. One main conclusion is that the reduced energy consumption during the pandemic is critical, and has a major effect on the operation of small electric grids. Another conclusion is that since the pandemic pushed the relative share of renewable energy to record highs, this event may help us to better understand the influence of a high share of renewables on small grids, thus offering a glance into a renewable-rich future.

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In December 2019 an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province, and has spread rapidly throughout China [1]–[3]
In this paper we attempt to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the operation of small electric grids, and what can this event teach us on the readiness of such grids in the face of future global health crises
To deal with future pandemics, ancillary services that enhance the flexibility of power systems, such as operating reserves and voltage control, should be further encouraged through appropriate pricing schemes

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Introduction

In December 2019 an outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province, and has spread rapidly throughout China [1]–[3]. The UK normally experiences a 10-20% reduction in electricity demand over the weekend as compared to during the week; since the outbreak of the pandemic, the same reduction in consumption was measured during weekdays as well [7]. Another example is the 3% reduction in U.S demand for electricity on March 27, 2020, as compared to the same day in 2019 [8], [9]. The long-term effects of the pandemic on the energy industry are currently poorly understood, and will be probably investigated for many years to come [12], [13]

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