Peter Meibom

Unit Commitment for Systems With Significant Wind Penetration

The stochastic nature of wind alters the unit commitment and dispatch problem. By accounting for this uncertainty when scheduling the system, more robust schedules are produced, which should, on average, reduce expected costs. In this paper, the effects of stochastic wind and load on the unit commitment and dispatch of power systems with high levels of wind power are examined. By comparing the costs, planned operation and performance of the schedules produced, it is shown that stochastic optimization results in less costly, of the order of 0.25%, and better performing schedules than deterministic optimization. The impact of planning the system more frequently to account for updated wind and load forecasts is then examined. More frequent planning means more up to date forecasts are used, which reduces the need for reserve and increases performance of the schedules. It is shown that mid-merit and peaking units and the interconnection are the most affected parts of the system where uncertainty of wind is concerned.

Stochastic Optimization Model to Study the Operational Impacts of High Wind Penetrations in Ireland

A stochastic mixed integer linear optimization scheduling model minimizing system operation costs and treating load and wind power production as stochastic inputs is presented. The schedules are updated in a rolling manner as more up-to-date information becomes available. This is a fundamental change relative to day-ahead unit commitment approaches. The need for reserves dependent on forecast horizon and share of wind power has been estimated with a statistical model combining load and wind power forecast errors with scenarios of forced outages. The model is used to study operational impacts of future high wind penetrations for the island of Ireland. Results show that at least 6000 MW of wind (34% of energy demand) can be integrated into the island of Ireland without significant curtailment and reliability problems.

Impact of wind power on the unit commitment, operating reserves, and market design

This article highlights and demonstrates the new requirements variable and partly unpredictable wind power will bring to unit commitment and power system operations. Current practice is described and contrasted against the new requirements. Literature specifically addressing questions about wind power and unit commitment related power system operations is surveyed. The scope includes forecast errors, operating reserves, intra-day markets, and sharing reserves across interconnections. The discussion covers the critical issues arising from the research.

Penetrating Insights: Lessons Learned from Large-Scale Wind Power Integration

This article summarizes some of the key lessons. We first describe a set of universal truths that are generally applicable to all power grids seeking to integrate more wind energy. We then provide a few specific examples, emphasiz ing the unique perspectives and experiences of systems in Europe, China, and North America.

Wind power integration studies using a multi-stage stochastic electricity system model

A large share of integrated wind power causes technical and financial impacts on the operation of the existing electricity system due to the fluctuating behaviour and unpredictability of wind power. The presented stochastic electricity market model optimises the unit commitment considering four kinds of electricity markets (e.g. a spot and balancing market) and taking into account the stochastic behaviour of the wind power generation and of the prediction error. It can be used for the evaluation of varying electricity prices and system costs due to wind power integration and for the investigation of integration measures.

Status and Prospects of European Renewable-Based Energy Systems Facilitated by Smart Grid Technologies

Renewable energy plays an important role in the future energy framework of the European Union. The European Union will reach a 20 % share of renewable energy in total energy consumption and increase energy efficiency by 20 % by 2020. Smart grids will be the backbone for facilitating the integration of renewable energy resources into future energy systems. The plans and status of renewable energy resources development and energy policy in Europe are introduced in this chapter. The development of smart grid technologies for facilitating the renewable-based energy systems in the European Union is also discussed. The role of Denmark, one of the leading countries for developing smart grid technologies and using renewable energy resources, has been emphasized in this chapter.